The Lion's Head and The Saviour's Heart
by romulf
Summary: (Alt Season 3B) Emma and Regina return to Storybrooke after the missing year. Memories are gone and Regina is missing some things which are crucial to her pursuit of a happy ending. They have feelings for each other which neither has yet voiced but destiny has plans of its own. What if the man with the lion tattoo wasn't Robin Hood? Tinkerbell has known the truth all along.
1. So Good They Named It Twice

**A/N: **Hey everyone! I've been working on this fic for a while now so i finally thought it was time to start posting. This isn't my first fic, but it is my first OUAT fic so bear with me for anything i haven't done so well. This story is essentially my version of what 4B should have been like. It originated from a prompt on tumblr and has now turned into a beast to write! I have 2/3 of the story written already so i guess i will post a chapter a week for the time-being and see how things start off. Its looking like its going to end up pretty huge, 70k, maybe more, so this is gonna be one long ride.

There are a few things i should say:  
>Firstly, i have taken some liberties with regards to how things work in Storybrooke, how magic works, how Zelena cast the curse and how the curse is broken, both to make life easier for myself and to do things with the story that otherwise wouldn't be first it will jump around a bit in time, between the missing year and present day, but don't worry, SwanQueen are soon reunited.<br>Secondly, I have neglected a few of the characters in favour of giving our lovely ladies more time to spend together. Robin is involved but he is my pawn to do with what i will. Hook is, as usual, a douchey douchebag and i refuse to write him as anything else. And as for Neal, he will pop in here and there but i won't be giving him too much attention, although i also won't be killing him.  
>Thirdly, its going to start out a bit slowly and this will most definitely be a slow-burn for Regina and Emma, they're silly, they don't realise things. The story pretty much departs from canon after New York City SerenadeWitch Hunt but there are some scenes in later chapters which mirror things that happened in canon.  
>There will be no smut for a while but the rating is still high for language, and later on in the story there may be some darker scenes.<p>

I do not own Once Upon A Time or any of its characters, though i wish i did. No copyright intended.

Enjoy!  
>Rosie<p>

* * *

><p><strong>New York City – 2014<strong>

Emma woke up that morning just like most other mornings. Her alarm blared obnoxiously out through the stillness of her sleep and she rolled over, silencing it quickly with the palm of her hand before flopping her arm back down on her pillow dramatically. She reached down and pulled the covers over her head trying to drown out the sound of the busy New York street below her window but she had no such luck and in response groaned loudly and inwardly sighed at the thought of having to leave her bed. She steeled herself, preparing her limbs for movement and then pushed her self up, staring around the room groggily as she waited for her eyes to focus on reality.  
>The dreams she'd been having recently left her waking up more drained than when she went to sleep and so exhausted that even coffee couldn't fix her in the mornings. They were filled with strange things; flashes of people that Emma had never met, the same faces every night. There was magic and strange monsters and a road. Emma would stand on this road for what felt like hours, her Yellow bug parked next to her but not a single person ever came. Just as she began to wonder for the hundredth time what these dreams meant, she was stopped in her thoughts by a knock on her bedroom door. She glanced up in the general direction of the noise and simultaneously shuffled her legs to the edge of the bed.<p>

"Come in kid," she shouted while she hauled herself out of bed and into a standing position. She wiggled her toes and stretched upwards as her son opened the door with a sleepy smile on his face.

"Morning Ma," Henry greeted whilst yawning, leaning against the doorframe with one hand.

"Morning kiddo. Sorry I'm late waking up, you know what I'm like. Sleep well?" Emma replied as she smiled at Henry and leaned towards the bedside table to grab her phone.

"Yeah I did thanks, but I'm still tired. I kinda-might-have stayed up a little bit later reading Lord of the Rings. I think it's my new favourite." Henry confessed, worried that his mother would scold him for staying up well past his bedtime, but she didn't.

Emma gaped up at her son with a look of mock astonishment as she finished checking her phone for any important messages, "You mean it beats Harry Potter? I thought Harry Potter was your all-time favourite ever? Or so you told me like 5 days ago," she chuckled at him, looking across to her son to witness his trademark eyebrow raise and smirk. She was sure he didn't get that look from her.

"Very funny Mom," he replied, dragging out the last word with a bored tone, which was accompanied by yet another raise of his eyebrows. Nope, Emma thought, definitely not from me. Henry continued, looking up at his mother, "Fine it might not be my favourite. I think I'll finish it first and then judge after that."

Emma laughed, "Alright kid, whatever you say. What do you want for breakfast?"

"Ummmmm…Pancakes?" Henry asked with a huge grin on his face.

"Pancakes it is. Go get ready for school and I'll meet you in the kitchen in…" Emma looked down at the time on her phone, "…twenty minutes?"

"Okay!"

Henry disappeared down the hallway, his slippers making a soft pitter patter on the wooden floor. After listening to his bedroom door close Emma wandered across to the bathroom get ready for work.

Fifteen minutes later Emma emerged from her room wearing a black turtleneck and plaid trousers, her blonde hair cascading down her shoulders and settling at the top of her chest. She slid around the island to the coffee pot, her morning cup calling to her already, drawing her into its warm, tasty goodness. After switching it on she set to work on her and Henry's breakfast. As much as she would love to learn to cook, she was awful anywhere near a kitchen, and so she removed a bottle of pancake mix from the fridge. She had just begun pouring the mixture on the quickly heating pan when she heard Henry's bedroom door shut, and small feet walking towards the kitchen. He walked in and she immediately noticed the copy of his new favourite book held open in his hand. He swiftly climbed up on a stool and placed the book down, grabbing the carton of orange juice and pouring himself a glass before he once again submerged himself in the world of Middle Earth.

Emma couldn't help but laugh at Henry; he'd always been like this with books. He went into his own little world when he read. There was one occasion when Henry had been reading in the car on the way home; Emma pulled up outside their apartment building and he was so submerged in whatever was going on in his fictional land that she left him to it, leaving the keys on the drivers seat when she went inside. It had been almost a full hour before he reemerged, his little face grinning proudly as he walked in the door and dropped the book down on the coffee table. 'Done' he had said, before walking to his room triumphantly, presumably to choose his next book.

"You really can't put that down can you kid?" Emma asked teasingly whilst serving their pancakes onto two plates and drizzling syrup over both. Henry only replied when his mother set his plate down in front of him and he put the book down to rest on the counter.

"Nope," he finally responded. He picked up a forkful of pancake and stuffed it in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully, "I'm on this really good bit where the Ents are attacking Isengard and killing all the Orcs and Merry and Pipp-"

Henry's tale was interrupted by a knock at the door; something which neither Emma nor her son expected at this time in the morning.

"Hold that thought Hen…" Emma said, looking at the door with confusion covering her face. She got up started walking toward the door as she continued, brushing her hand on the counter as she slid around the corner, "not that I have any idea what you're talking about".

The brunette boy couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he filled his mouth with more pancake, listening to his mother mutter "Ents" and "Orcs" as she wandered toward the cause of their interrupted breakfast.

If Emma had been confused before she opened the door, she definitely didn't know what she was now. There was a man, dressed in something that seemed to resemble Jack Sparrow's attire in Pirates of the Caribbean, standing in her doorway. A man who was looking at her with such surprise and awe on his face that she felt like she was in some kind of romantic comedy, except with a touch of the creepies. She looked him up and down once again, taking in his boots and the sword fastened around his waist and…was that? A hook. Great, Emma thought, first there's a strange man at my door and now he has a hook, fan-fuckin-tastic. She had to stop herself rolling her eyes back into her head as she looked up at this weird man. Then something even weirder happened.

"Swan," he said matter-of-factly, nodding his head. Immediately he swooped his head towards her. Before she could even register what was happening his lips were on hers, crashing into her as his beard scratched unpleasantly at her face. Great, she thought again, this just gets better and better. She pushed him off roughly with a kind of strength that was entirely necessary in her line of work, held him at arms length and frowned at the smile that was plastered across his face.

"Who the fuck are you," Emma growled, shoving the pirate-man into the hallway with another muscled push. "And why the hell did you just kiss me?"

"As polite as ever I see. Swan, its me, Killian. I thought that plan had potential; at least I hoped it did, but clearly our emotions are on somewhat different levels. It looks like I'm going to have to do this the hard way."

"I have absolutely no idea who you are Killian but if you're not out of here in five seconds then I'm calling the police. So get the hell off my doorstep."

"Swan, just let me expla-," Killian started, but before he got a chance to finish his sentence the door slammed shut in his face.

As Emma turned around and headed down the hallway back towards her now cold breakfast, she heard her son yell, "Who was that Mom?"

Bewildered, the blonde craned her neck round to look at the closed door once more before she replied, "I have no idea Henry."

* * *

><p><strong>Enchanted Forest – 2013<strong>

The day was grey and overcast as Regina and the recently returned Fairytale characters continued their long trek from Prince Phillip and Aurora's realm to what had once, long ago, been their own. It felt different somehow. But it wasn't because The Enchanted Forest had change much, if at all, it was because they had changed so much. In the decade and a half that they had been away from their homes, all the residents had become different people. Regina was sure that given questioning, all of her companions would say the same thing; it felt strange to be back.

For the former Evil Queen however, it was more bittersweet than anything else. She had lost her son, again, and there was nothing to be done to bring him back. She knew that she had to try and do something, but what. She wracked her brain but couldn't come up with anything. At that point, she groaned audibly, trying to suppress the feelings that were brewing up inside of her. She couldn't let her emotions run rampant in front of her present company because, much to her constant dismay, she needed to maintain the Mayor Mills exterior. If she broke down and showed them all how she was truly feeling then she would have nothing left. Remember, Regina thought to herself, calm as still water. Don't show them anything.

She thought back to her conversation with Snow and Charming earlier; one of the many that had ended in held-in tears and sobs from the fairest in the land. They had been talking about ways to get back to Emma and Henry but Regina had been too buried in her own mind to listen much to what they were saying, sure that any idea they had would be useless anyway. Snow had been blubbering on about Ariel, a friend from many years ago, a mermaid, who was able to travel across worlds whenever she pleased. The more Regina had thought about it, the quicker a plan developed in her head. But I can't do this myself, she thought. As much as she dreaded the thought of even conversing with the lowlife, she was going to need the pirate's help. But first she needed to retrieve something from her castle.

After she watched Zelena's broomstick disappear into the clouds Regina stormed her way through the airy room to her vanity, heels clacking on the stone floor, echoing off the walls with a fervent anger that she had missed these past 30 something years. As much as she wished to sit and enjoy being back in her home after all this time she had more pressing matters to deal with.

The first thing that came to her mind as she sat in front of her mirror was Zelena. Her sister. This revelation had so many implications, and brought up so many things which she continually avoided thinking about…and for good reason. To start off with, she could add another item to the already infinite list of things that her mother had lied to her about throughout her life, and she was wondering if this recently appeared sibling was something that Rumplestiltskin had known about all along; if so, she had half the mind to bring him back from the dead then kill him again herself. Secondly, as much as she hated herself for it, she couldn't help but think about what it might have been like to have a sister when she was growing up and how different her life might have been. Her mother would have been an entirely different person, and as a matter of fact so would Regina. She didn't even want to consider what her life would have been like without having to bear the weight of her mother's pressure solely on her shoulders. However she concluded that it wasn't something she should even be considering; because every step she had made towards becoming the Evil Queen had been one stop closer to Henry. And now I've lost him again, Regina thought to herself.

More than anything else she was beyond infuriated that there was another life-threatening dilemma that she would have to solve before she could attempt to make it back to her son. Henry, and to her dismay, Emma, had been all she could think about since they arrived back in the Enchanted Forest. She wished like she had never wished before that her plan had worked. That they were happy and together and enjoying life without the burden of knowing what they were missing, unlike she was at this very moment. All she could see in her mind's eye was their faces, staring at her forlornly before getting in the bug and driving away from her forever.

"No", she said out loud to herself. "No, no, no, no, no!" She screamed this time, picking up a small bottle off of the surface and clutched it tightly as hard as she could before throwing it to the ground with a smash. She span around then, her face tight with rage as she marched regally to the balcony and stared out across her beloved land. Closing her eyes, she attempted to calm herself down as Emma's face flashed across her vision. She imagined Emma and Henry sitting around the table at breakfast, eating pancakes and talking about the silliest of things. It made her happy. She saw that the sun was fairly low in the sky and realised that she should be leaving soon if she was to make it back to the not-so-charmings in time for them to get into the castle before nightfall.

I will find them, thought Regina, I have paid the price before, and I will pay it again for them, a thousand times over.

As she moved towards the large set of doors she detoured to her ornate glass potions cabinet. She opened it up and quickly selected the two small blue vials she needed, finding them effortlessly as if she had been here just yesterday. She wrapped them up and stored them safely on her person, and with a swish of her skirts, Regina spun around and surged through the doorway, her plan instilling her with a new hope that one day soon she would see her son again.

* * *

><p>The great stone archway loomed above as Regina rushed towards the field in front of her, making her way out of the castle. On exiting her chamber she had navigated the long series of corridors and turrets of steps like it had not been almost thirty years ago since she had last walked the halls. However, as much as she appreciated being home, it wasn't truly home anymore. Her home was with Henry; their mansion in Storybrooke was home now and she had changed so much, and come so far that being in her castle didn't feel quite right anymore. It suited a woman who no longer existed, a woman who Regina wished to leave firmly in the past.<p>

Stepping onto the plush grass beneath the steps Regina suddenly felt like she was being watched, her perception heightened due to the residual magic in her castle. She pushed onwards, wary that she needed to get back to Snow and Charming before they sent out some kind of a search party for her, most likely consisting of Ruby and Granny and their impeccable senses of smell. Her foot had just crossed into the line of trees when she heard a rustling in the bushes to her right hand side.

"Show yourself you green freak!" she said loudly and aggressively to the shrubs, waiting for Zelena to emerge again and continue to wreak havoc on her already hideous day.

Before she even had a chance to turn her head she heard the unmistakable sound of a bow letting loose and an arrow whistling through the air. It made a slight whirring sound, something that her ears had become acutely attuned to in the days when her life was being constantly threatened by a particularly skilled bow-woman by the name of Snow White. Instantly, and without thinking, she raised her hand and simultaneously stepped out of the way, catching the arrow dead in the middle of the shaft.

Regina raised her hand and produced spontaneous flames as a man stepped out from behind a large holly bush, bow and hand held in the air in surrender.

"My apologies M'ady…I thought you were the Wicked Witch", he said regretfully, his face becoming clearer as he walked slowly closer towards her.

Regina looked the man up and down. He was dressed in what she could only call peasants clothing; dark green britches, a woollen shirt and boots, with a rough brown cape fastened around his neck.

"And I thought you were the Wicked Witch."

As the man moved closer to her something changed in his eyes, his facial expression clouding over.

He looked down at his feet as he spoke again, "My apologies…again…Your Majesty. I regret I couldn't see your face from my hiding spot and it has been a long time since you have been seen in these parts. I assumed it was Zelena leaving your castl…"

"Enough talking. It's quite alright. My reputation precedes me, no doubt. You should count yourself lucky that I have such quick reactions Mr…?" Regina asked, raising her eyebrows and awaiting his answer, glancing him up and down once again for good measure; something she was prone to do when exerting her dominating presence over unsuspecting individuals.

"Robin…" he said confidently, moving a step closer to Regina, "Robin of Locksley, at your service."

The former Evil Queen looked him square in the face before replying, the corners of her mouth lifting somewhat menacingly.

"Ah, the thief. It seems your reputation precedes you also," she smirked. She had heard of this man before, he had made quite the name for himself at one time, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor of all things. He should consider it a blessing that he never attempted to steal from me, thought Regina.

Bravely Robin replied, quirking his head at her in amusement at what he was about to say, "It seems so, however aren't you also better known as the Evil Queen? I think if either of us have a reputation here yours blows mine out of the water."

"Careful what you say bandit. I go by Regina now, thank you", she said in a curt tone, her face sneering at this man's cocky attitude while she placed her hands gracefully behind her back and strengthened her stance.

"Well, Regina, I suppose you have somewhere to be, queenly duties I assume. I should be letting you get on your way."

"Yes, of course." At this Robin turned around, rolling his sleeves up and slinging his bow over his shoulder in a casual fashion. "I presume you would also like your arrow back?" she questioned, tossing it in her hand and making him turn around again. He extended his left arm, plucking the arrow from her fingers and sliding it into his quiver before then extending his right hand.

"It was a pleasure to meet you Regina, I hope we shall meet again."

Regina had been staring at her castle while he replied, her mind drifting to what it would have been like to raise Henry there, to be the Prince he was born to be. When she looked back at Robin's outstretched hand she immediately noticed the marking on his forearm and her heart stopped for what felt like an eternity. She flashed back to the night with Tinkerbell where they followed the fairy dust and were lead to a tavern, to a man with a lion tattoo, the very same tattoo that was glaring at her from the arm of the thief she had coincidentally just crossed paths with. Coming out of her reverie Regina looked up at Robin, her face immediately growing dark and confused.

Concerned, Robin took another step closer to her.

"Is everything alright Your Majesty?"

Regina opened her mouth, staring at the man's arm and taking a sharp breath before she turned around and breezed away, quickly disappearing into the forest and leaving Robin perplexed as to what had just happened.

* * *

><p>As Regina walked briskly back to the make shift camp her mind was whirring a hundred miles a minute. She had never expected to see that tattoo again in her life, and to be honest she hadn't even thought about it in over 30 years. But she immediately recognised it as identical to the one she had seen that night all those years ago, when she had been too frightened to even stay long enough to see the man's face. As she recalled, the man's hair had been shorter and lighter back then, but the tattoo was unmistakably the same. However, Regina paused her internal stressing at this new revelation. There were more important things to be thinking about at this moment than her supposed "true love". Her son and Emma were more important than that.<p>

Regina glanced up and looked at the woodland surrounding her. The trees were starting to thin out and the path that had been almost invisible within the woods was starting to become more foot-worn. From this she determined that she was close to the camp. Just minutes later she walked into the clearing filled with people, some sitting around small fires and conversing, children playing games. She made her way towards Snow and Charming and informed them quickly that the castle was clear and they should make preparations to leave. She looked around her and immediately laid eyes on Hook, who was sitting on a rock sharpening his sword.

"Pirate!" She yelled, striding towards him at an intimidating pace. He looked up from his sword and swiftly stood to his feet, sheathing his sword as he took two long steps to meet her.

"And to what pleasure do I owe your summons, Your Majesty?" He said, his swaggering attitude as prevalent as ever despite the ordeal they had just been through.

Keeping her voice low, Regina answered, "I may have established a plan for finding Emma and Henry. It seems highly unlikely that it will work, but it's worth a shot."

"Ah," he said smugly, "bloody hell. The Evil Queen needs my assistance. I told you I can come in useful", he winked.

"That's quite enough of that attitude thank you very much. I just thought that you would be interested in seeing Miss Swan again at some point in your meaningless life. You've been wandering like a lost puppy ever since we arrived and its rather distracting," she retorted.

He was quite clearly infatuated with her son's other mother and to be quite honest, Regina wasn't keen on the fact simply because it meant that he had been spending an increasing amount of time with her son. It also annoyed her for another reason, one that she would never admit given the chance. After Neverland Regina felt like she and Emma had made progress in their relationship, and she thought that the blonde realised it too. She definitely didn't hate her anymore, and even though it caused her immense pain to know that her son was with Emma right now instead of with her, she might even go as far as to say that she liked the woman. Standing in front of Emma's bug saying good-bye to Henry and Emma had been the hardest thing Regina had ever done, and she felt like she and the blonde had connected on another level. Regina remembered looking into Emma's eyes communicating in a way they had never done before, their mutual love for Henry uniting them in that moment when Emma silently promised to protect Henry and look after him until Regina could be back in his life again. She actually missed her. However, it came to Regina's attention that none of this seemed to matter now, as they were there and she was here. Her dislike for Hook would have to be put on hold for the time being. She needed him.

In the time that Regina had been lost in her thoughts it appeared that Hook had been too, as she now found him staring pensively across to the horizon. Regina moved her hand then, clicking her fingers in front of the man's face to bring his attentions back to her. He jumped as if he had been worlds away and waited on Regina to speak.

"I need your help," she said, sneering slightly at the words she wished never had to expel from her mouth.

A pleased smirk returned to Hook's face at her words, but it didn't reach his eyes and she could tell that he had been thinking about Emma. Just like she had.

"I'm all ears."


	2. Fairytale Land Ain't So Fun Anymore

**A/N: **Hey Guys!

Chapter 2 has come around already! I've been blown away by the views i've had after only one chapter so i hope you all enjoy this one.  
>In advance, our ladies won't be in the same placetime for a few more chapters yet but don't fret, it'll come. The next few chapters might not be the most interesting, but they're necessary for setting up well...pretty much everything.  
>Anyway, i hope you enjoy. Commentscriticisms are always appreciated! Happy reading :D

Rosie xx

I do not own Once Upon A Time, no copyright intended.

* * *

><p>After Regina had explained her rather far-fetched plan, and Hook, to his credit, had listened carefully, he went to say a few last-minute goodbyes before he set off on his journey.<p>

When he returned to her he appeared to have acquired a horse. He slung his pack on top before swinging himself up into the saddle and getting comfortable in his stirrups, making his way over to Snow and Charming. Regina watched as Snow reached her hand up to him and clasped it tightly, whilst David patted him on the leg and no doubt wished him a safe journey. He walked his horse away from them towards Regina and she walked slowly next to his horse until they were out of the Charmings' direct line of sight.

"What did you tell them?" Regina asked pointedly, hoping that the pirate had obeyed her orders.

"Don't worry, I told them that I can't be stuck on dry land much longer and need to find my boat, wherever she is. Only part of what I have to do, but they didn't need to know that." He tightened the pack on his saddle once more and stared straight ahead into the forest through which was his destination.

Regina raised her head and placed her left hand on the horse's neck, stroking it nonchalantly and replying once she had reigned in the feelings that were storming inside of her. Even after all these years and the memories associated with them just being near the powerful yet beautiful creatures still brought Regina some solace.

Hoping above all else that the pirate had the ability to succeed in his task and wasn't going to run away and plunder and pillage or whatever else pirates did, she reached into the folds of her dress and pulled out the small wrap containing the bottles. Holding the package tightly in her hand she looked at Hook, a multitude of emotions running across her face.

"You'll need these if you find her. It's a memory potion. If I know Emma there's no way she'll believe what you're saying, so you might want to give this to her sooner rather than later. Whatever you do, _don't_", she emphasised the word as she placed the bottle gently into Hook's hand, "lose them. There's a vial in there for Henry too. If you find them, go to Storybrooke, just tell Emma to go to where it should be. I don't know how yet, but I'm going to make it reappear…. Find them", she said with half pleading eyes, her Queenly mask still well and truly in tact.

"I'll try my best." He said with one more glance down at Regina as he placed the potions in the inside pocket of his jacket, a hopeful look in his eyes. Before she had a chance to say anything else, the leather-coated brigand pushed his heels firmly into his horse and galloped away without looking back.

Turning back towards the rowdy group of Storybrooke residents Regina saw that they were almost ready to leave for the short hike to the castle. Everyone was gathering the few belongings they had brought and beginning to follow Snow and Charming in a steady stream.

They made their way through the dense part of the forest. Regina walked near the front of the column but separated herself from the others. She knew that had Henry been there, she would have been happily conversing with some of the others but the lack of his presence made her feel detached from all those around her; the vague friendships she had made during and after Neverland drifted into the background as the weight of leaving him was constantly on her mind. So she continued to walk, in her own world. The ground was soft and mossy beneath her feet and she realised that she had missed the scent and the quiet of the forest. She had never really ventured into the forest that surrounded Storybrooke, always having been too busy to consider it.

Her train of thought was broken as she heard a loud screeching pierce her ears from the canopy above. Before she could even turn fully around an enormous winged monkey broke through the high up branches and dove towards she and Snow at full speed.

"Find cover!" Snow yelled, as the ape circled above them. The column of people behind them scattered into the shrubbery to hide from the oncoming attack. Instantly Regina turned around, her hand exploding with flame. As the monkey dove again she expelled a fireball at it, missing it narrowly and giving it the chance to attack. Before she could realise what was happening the monkey had grabbed her gown at the shoulder and pulled her violently into the air.

"Regina!" shouted Snow from below. Regina looked up at the creature and whilst summoning her magic again she felt a warm hand attach to her ankle, pulling her downwards and counteracting the strength of the monkey's wings.

Regina and Snow came to a painful stop, the former monarchs a tangled mess of limbs as they fell to the ground hard and fast. However the monkey was circling above again and going in for another attack. She started to stand when she heard a voice shout from somewhere in the trees.

"Get down!" the man's voice directed them. Regina heard rather than saw an arrow whizzing through the air where it caught the monkey mid-dive towards the pair who hadn't yet managed to regain their footing.

Both women stood up swiftly and wiped the dirt off their dresses, searching in the shrubbery with frantic eyes for their rescuer. David sprinted over to Snow to assure that she was unharmed and during this distraction Regina, to her dismay, saw a familiar face step out from the brush; only this time he was flanked by several other men who, dare she say, looked even rougher that the thief himself did. She remained quiet as the group walked towards them, distracted by the thought that she now owed this man her life.

David immediately seemed to recognise the man and stepped away from his wife with his hand outstretched, as if to greet an old friend.

"Well, well, I can't say I ever thought I'd see you again David, or what is it now? Prince Charming?" Robin states jokily, a smirk forming on his face.

"Robin…its been years. We owe you our thanks, truly," David said as he grasped Robin's hand firmly before pulling him into an embrace. Regina watched silently as he turned around, beckoning Snow over to meet this apparent acquaintance.

"Snow, this is Robin of Locksley, better known as Robin Hood, and these are his Merry Men," he said, gesturing to the group gathered behind Robin. "This," he continued, "is my wife, Snow White. And this," he said, motioning Regina to move closer, "is Queen Regina."

Snow extended her hand to Robin who kissed it graciously, as Regina stood silently brooding, hoping that this ordeal could soon be over with.

"It's a pleasure to meet you M'lady", he said after releasing Snow's hand, "And I have already had the pleasure of meeting Queen Regina this afternoo-".

"He would have killed me," said Regina emphatically, "had it not been for my impeccable reactions. He mistook me for the Wicked Witch when leaving my castle" She glared, her face darkening further as she stared at his tattoo.

"And I apologise again Your Majesty," Robin replied, bowing slightly, his face scrunched up in a grimace which the former Mayor was realizing seemed to be the only expression he was capable of showing.

Snow and Charming looked awkwardly between themselves before David took it upon himself to steer the conversation in a less awkward direction.

"We must continue on our journey but please, walk with us, I must hear about what the Merry Men have doing since I left you all those years ago."

As they continued to walk Regina eyed up the band of thieves warily. She was glancing between them when she noticed one begin to roll his sleeves up. His left arm was blank, but as he moved the right sleeve further up his arm she saw the unmistakable marking of that fateful tattoo. Now she was confused. Tinkerbell had told her that the man in the tavern with the lion tattoo was her true love, but two of them had this tattoo. So which one was her true love? Was it Robin, or was it the other? The other man looked nothing like the man she had seen that night, he was shorter and fatter with brunette hair, but it had been over 30 years ago so he could have changed significantly by now. As they approached the castle Regina's mind was over run with thoughts of what this meant and how she should figure it out.

* * *

><p>Being back in her old castle was something Regina was sure she wouldn't become accustomed to for a long while. After the group had established themselves in the main hall she excused herself to go to her chambers and change into a new dress; after all the one she had been wearing all day was dirty from the trek through the forest and the unfortunate monkey encounter. As well as this, she decided that she simply wanted to be alone. Charming, in his charming way, had invited the Merry Men to stay in the castle for the night and as much as she wanted to refuse them the thief had saved her life, so it was the least she could do. She needed to be alone and clear her mind because all she could think about was the stupid tattoos and what it all meant. She realised that it was the last thing she should be thinking about and that her mind should be focused on Henry, but she couldn't stop considering that one of the men sitting in a room somewhere below her could be her true love. Even after everything that had happened she still wanted to believe that she could find love for herself, even if she didn't deserve it. There was a stronger part of her that told her she was being weak, that the old Regina wouldn't have even considered allowing a man to dictate her happiness, or told herself that she needed one to be happy. But she had been trying for so long now, and all she got in return was distrust from everyone she knew. Didn't she deserve to have a happy ending like the rest of them? <em>Apparently not<em>, Regina thought.

However, she couldn't stop the thought that any man she involved herself with may one day have to become Henry's father; and that was a thought she didn't enjoy. Henry was hers…and Emma's, and not anybody else's. She despised the thought of Neal, or anyone else Emma might become romantically involved with becoming Henry's father only a little more than she hated the thought of someone she might love becoming a part of his life. He was theirs. It dawned on her that the only person she would ever be able to stomach sharing Henry with was Emma, she had even started to enjoy co-parenting with her.

Regina had begun to miss Emma; not nearly as much as she missed Henry, but there were certain things about the blonde Savior that Regina has begun to appreciate. She was the only person who had ever really stuck with Regina; she believed her when no one else did, she trusted her, and more than anything she was the only person in her life that had ever really cared about what happened to her. Slowly Regina was beginning to realise that Emma was the only person that had ever treated her as an equal, she had been overpowered and oppressed by her Mother, Leopold and Rumple. Her relationship with Graham had been wrong in so many ways and she had been so young and naïve with Daniel. Emma was different though; she had always put Henry and Regina first no matter what. '_He's my son too', _Emma had once said to her, yet now it was the other way round, Regina was Henry's mother too, and she had no doubt that if Emma even knew at that moment that Regina existed, she would be doing everything she could do reunite her with her son.

Regina wiped furiously at the angry tears that had begun strike their path down her face. _No, _she said to herself, _no crying. You're not allowed to cry until they're both back with you. No more tears for sadness. Only for joy._

After returning to her chambers from an evening trip to the kitchens Regina settled herself in bed, wrapped up under her furs. She summoned several books from her library with a flick of her wrist as well as a decanter of her finest full-bodied red from Agrabah, which she was pleased to see Zelena hadn't depleted during her stay here. The books explained that the tattoo must be some kind of magical insignia; they were apparently fairly common in groups, between ship crews or even armies. They appeared when an individual joined the group or was initiated in and stayed forever, binding the wearer to their faction. Regina was confused however, about David. Prince Charming had been part of the Merry Men at one time, but she was positive that he didn't have the tattoo because there would have been many opportunities for Regina to see it. Regina resolved that she would have to discuss this with David, or Snow, as little as she wanted to.

For now her mind needed a rest from the incessant thoughts that had been pinging around in her head the whole day like pinballs. The wine had clouded her mind somewhat; now faces and names flitted and buzzed around in her head like gnats, not staying on one thing for long.

_Henry. Emma. Robin. Snow. Charming. Zelena. _

_How do I get back? Where are they? Did the curse work? Are they happy? Will I ever see them again?_

_Tattoos. Monkeys. Lions. Henry. Emma. _

_Henry. _

_Emma. _

She laid her head on the downy pillow, pulling the blankets tightly up to her chin.

Sleep evaded her for what seemed like hours but when it finally came it was filled with the most unsettling dream.

* * *

><p><em>Regina was walking in the middle of a deserted back road at dusk. The trees were huge and almost created a canopy over her head, standing in lines along her sides and running forward until they minimised into dark nothingness ahead of her. She didn't know how long she had been walking, or where she was. There was something strangely familiar about the place, some thing strangely suffocating, almost like there were emotions swirling through the air. <em>

_At first she thought her eyes were deceiving her, but slowly and surely she became certain that a form was emerging from the road in front of her, there was a clearing in the trees which made the person more visible under the light of the moon. They seemed to be staring up at it. Immediately becoming defensive she poised herself for conflict, moving to the edge of the road and covering herself slightly, the atmosphere making her feel even more cautious. She walked slowly along the opposite side of the road, creeping closer to the unknown individual. However, her wariness immediately dispersed when she began to see the slim form and long hair more clearly. _

"_Emma…" she whispered, only a few hundred feet away from the woman now._

_Regina lost herself in thought and subconsciously expelled the word from her mouth again. _

"_Emma," she said, suddenly realizing that it had been out loud, but it was too late because the blonde in question was already staring at her with a look of shock and confusion. _

"_Uhh…who are you?" Emma's voice said warily but slightly aggressively while Regina stepped forward onto the smooth tarmac of the road. _

"_Emma, don't you know who I am?"_

"_Umm…no, should I?" the blonde answered back._

_Suddenly it dawned on Regina; breaking Pan's curse had sent Emma away, so of course she wouldn't know who she was. Regina began to get irrationally upset, curling up in a ball in her sleep, a look of anguish on her usually perfect features. _

"_Its me Emma!" she cried out. She ran forward, reaching out but there was a force behind her pulling her slowly backwards. _

"_Its me!" Regina said again, being dragged backwards with more force now. The trees were becoming wavy, slowly melting down and behind and around her like murky candle wax._

"_I'm sorry! I don't know you!" the other woman replied. _

_The force began to drag Regina upwards now, pulling her into something soft and warm. _

"_Tell Henry I love him!" Regina struggled to say, both from her emotions and her gaining distance away from Emma._

"_What?" Emma yelled, "How do you know my son? Who are you?"_

_Only just managing to shout, "Regina", at the top of her lungs the woman disappeared into thin air._

* * *

><p><span><strong>NYC 2013<strong>

The blonde mother woke up startled with the name Regina reverberating inside her head, like an echo bouncing around in her ears. She had had the most vivid dream. It was almost like it had really happened. It was especially strange because usually in her dreams she remembered snippets; random images, faces, sensations and feelings but this time it was like the whole scene was real. It was the same road that she had seen in her nightmares many times before but this time there was someone there.

Regina. Who is Regina? Emma asked herself as she rubbed her face in her hands and flopped onto her back on the bed.

_She knew me. _Emma thought. _She knew Henry. It was so real and she was so sad yet it was so familiar. _ The residual emotions she had been left with after the encounter were still wreaking havoc on her brain and she felt like she had experienced them before, in that exact same place. But she had never been there, so how could that be true? Her heart was pounding inside her chest for the woman who was in such distress. For an indeterminate length of time she had felt like something was missing in her otherwise perfect life; she had a beautiful son, she enjoyed her job, but there was always a niggling feeling inside her that this wasn't who she truly was, and the dreams she had on a nightly basis only solidified these thoughts.

_Anyway, _thought Emma, breaking out of her contemplation and deciding it was about time she extricated herself from her bed and got her son ready for school. _It was only a dream._


	3. Memento

A/N:

Hey guys!

From me to you on this wonderful Christmas day (although it isn't actually Christmas for me anymore), an update! I hope you are all having a great time doing whatever you are doing to celebrate, and if you aren't then i hope this will make things slightly better!

This chapter is a bit shorted than the last but i wanted this and the next one to be separate, so in return i will try to update again on Monday :) Thank you to all who have read, favourited or reviewed!

Merry Christmas, enjoy!

Rosie xx

As always no copyright intended!

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><p><span><strong>NYC 2014<strong>

The high-rise buildings towered over her on either side as she walked through Midtown on her way to work. The one thing she liked most about New York was also the one thing she despised it most for. It was never quiet. On some days, the honking horns and people yelling served their purpose; they distracted her from her thoughts. But there was one thing that she simply couldn't get off her mind. The visitor this morning had not only brought up feelings about the uncertainty of her place in life, but had reminded her of an encounter that was very similar to the one she had yesterday, only in her dreams.

Still to this day Emma remembered the dark haired woman as vividly as she had when she had woken up that morning, and she couldn't help but think that there was something strange happening. The woman in her dream had expected Emma to know who she was and the man this morning had clearly been hoping the same. She didn't want to derive too much of her evidence from this dream, because it was only that, a dream, but it had been so real that she recollected it as she would something that had happened in reality.

Glancing at the people around her, she turned to walk into Starbucks, really, _really, _hoping that the weird pirate man hadn't decided it would be a good idea to follow her. She couldn't deal with that shit today. After grabbing her usual cinnamon hot chocolate she exited the coffee shop and continued down the busy New York street.

His clothing made him stand out immediately to the blonde's eyes. Over the throng of people she spied his dark, oily hair and the shoulders of his long leather coat. Before she even had the chance to run into a doorway or duck or turn around he noticed her and began making his way swiftly through the crowd. She thought about running, but there were too many people, and part of her was just a tiny bit intrigued as to who this man was and what the hell he wanted from her.

"Emma!" he shouted over the dull roar everything happening around them.

She put on her best 'fuck off' face and met him on the edge of the sidewalk.

"Okay, what the hell do you want with me? Because I don't know about you, but where I come from its bad manners to be sent away from someone's door and then _stalk_ them," she emphasised for good measure.

"Swan, I just need to-"

His face dropped as she interrupted him. "No, you don't need to do anything. The only thing you need to do is stay away from me." She tried to walk away, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back in front of him. The cloudy look on her face darkened into thunder but before she could reprimand him once more he began to speak.

"Its important Swan. You're the only hope. Your parents are in danger. I know you don't know me, but you do, I promise. How else would I know your name or that you have a son, called Henry?"

"Stay away from my son you fucking creep, and I don't have any parents, so now I know you're spewing bullshit" she said, wrenching her arm out of his grasp and checking her phone for the time "You're making me late for work, so fuck off and hopefully I'll see you never." This time he let her go. She made it four steps before his voice made her turn around again.

"Regina sent me," he said almost hopefully, even thought it was coupled with the knowledge that she wouldn't know whom he was talking about. But she did, she'd heard that name before. The beautiful, sad, intriguing woman in her dream had been called Regina, and this made her stop in her tracks.

She walked back up to him slowly with a quizzical look on her face. _Okay pirate, _she thought, _now you have my attention. _

"Meet me outside that building," she pointed along the street to a tall glass structure that glittered blue in the wintery sunlight, "at four pm sharp. I'll give you five minutes," she said as she turned away from him.

* * *

><p>Emma left work at 3:59 precisely. She had never been one for keeping to a schedule but she had been thinking about the pirate and Regina all day. Regina, Regina, Regina. She felt an inexplicable connection to this woman that she didn't even know existed, but who apparently might actually be real.<p>

True to his word, the man was waiting outside for Emma, sitting on one of the smokers' ledges that lined the front of the building. She walked up and sat down next to him, wary to remain at least two feet away. She didn't really know why but although this man was creepy and stalky, she didn't feel all that threatened by him.

A smirk covered his face, the same as the one he had worn this morning before he so disgustingly kissed her on her own doorstep.

"So Swan, what made you change your mind," he said cheekily.

She didn't really know how to reply, even though she knew exactly what had made him worth listening to.

She let her thoughts centre for a second before she said quietly, "Regina," simply because there was no other reason., and it seemed stupid to lie.

"You remember her?" he asked, seemingly confused by the sentiment.

"No, I don't know who she is. But I had a dream. Someone called Regina. She knew me but I didn't know her, just like you seem to know me. I don't understand."

The pirate looked up at her then with sincerity in his previously glinting eyes. He reached into his coat and pulled out some pictures and handed them to Emma. They were pictures of her and Henry in a town called Storybrooke.

Emma was beyond confused now. "What are these? I've never seen these pictures before…we've never been to a place called Storybrooke. How can this be possible? They must be photo shopped."

"They're photo-what love?" he said, perplexed.

"Photo-shopped," Emma replied curiously, "you know…like faked?"

Hook now looked less confused. "Even if they were forgeries, why would I have them? You must admit that something doesn't quite feel right here, that something feels missing?"

"I guess so, I guess I've been feeling that for a while now, I guess for my whole life. But life doesn't always happen the way you want it to, you don't always get everything you want."

"Your paren-" he started before she interrupted for the third time that day.

"Now you're just talking crap…" she started.

"Because you think you're an orphan?"

"I _am_ an orphan," Emma stated resolutely, nodding to herself as if to affirm the statement in her own mind.

"What if I told you differently? What if I told you that you have family, parents, friends that you don't remember? What if I told you that there's a whole year of your life that you're missing?" he pointed at the pictures then, "this was taken a year ago, in Storybrooke."

"A year ago I was here, in New York, we had just moved here from Boston."

"Wow," he said emphatically, "Regina really did do a good job."

"Now this Regina again, who is she? You sound like a crazy person." Emma was really beginning to have enough of this man. Telling her she had parents was one thing, but telling her that a year ago she was in some place she had never even heard of? Emma called bullshit.

"I actually prefer dazzling rapscallion," he replied, raising his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

Emma looked at him imploringly; with each open of his mouth he proved himself to be even more of an asshole. The blonde's dislike for him was growing with every second.

"This is crazy. How could I have forgotten an entire year? This doesn't even make sense. No. This is ridiculous. Your time is up. I'm done here," she moved to get up as she spoke, picking up the pictures and staring at them one more time.

"Emma wait. I know you have no reason to trust me…"

"No, you know what, I really don't. You should give me one reason not to punch you in the face."

"Just listen. You have no reason to trust me, but I also have no reason to lie. Use your superpower. Yes, I know about that. Use it and tell me that I'm lying."

Emma's mouth hung open. "How…?" she was speechless. Okay, this man might have been able to know her name, and Henry's name, but there is no possible way of him knowing about her superpower. The only person who knew about that was Henry, so what the hell was happening here? She stared at the man. His body language was open; he was sitting still; none of the telltale signs of lying showed on his face. She determined that he was probably telling the truth, which she really didn't want to think about because it opened up a whole, endless can of worms for her.

"Am I lying?" he asked confidently.

"No… I mean I don't think so. But still, this is ridiculous. It's bizarre. How could this even be true?"

"Just trust me, Swan. I want you to do one thing for me," he said as he reached into his pocket again and pulled out the two wrapped up vials of potion. "I promise you there's an explanation."

"Not one that makes sense," she said, slightly aggressively.

"It will if you drink this," he said, holding one of the blue bottles in front of her.

"If what you're saying is true, if… then everything is going to change, and I'm not sure I'm okay with that. I like my life," she said with conviction.

"But what if you liked the life you left behind more? You're missing out Swan, on your life, and Henry's, with the people you love. Follow your gut, Swan, it'll tell you what to do."

"Henry always says that," she said with an anxious expression on her face. She had already made her decision. She owed it to herself, and to Henry to at least see if this borderline maniac was telling the truth. And the woman, Regina, was still on her mind. She had told Emma to tell Henry she loved him. She was someone from this old life - whatever that meant - someone who obviously loved Henry a lot, and it might be that she even owed it to Regina. This woman had sent the pirate here to find her, that had to count for something.

He was still holding the potion in his outstretched hand when Emma made her decision. She reach out and plucked the small vial from his fingers. The cork slipped easily from the bottle and she touched it to her mouth, draining the sweet liquid in one gulp. Her eyes turned gold.

Suddenly, in her mind's eye images began flashing just like in her dreams. Only this time she understood them. She saw her bug, the clock tower in Storybrooke, Regina. There was her mother and father and lots and lots of purple smoke and more Regina. She remembered Gold and Ruby and everyone else and she recalled Neverland and Pan's curse and everything that had truly happened in her life. The last thing she saw before she opened her eyes was the road, the road from her dream. The last thing she remembered was driving away from Storybrooke and seeing Regina's grief stricken face in her rear view mirror; emotion pouring from her face as it was from Emma's. She remembered wanting to turn around and pull the woman into a fierce embrace, but knowing she couldn't. She opened he eyes, the pirate appearing through the sea of tears.

"Hook," she gasped, feeling as if everything had just fallen into place but simultaneously flown completely up into the air.


	4. Curiosity Killed The Queen

A/N:

Hey Guys!

As promised here is an update for you! This chapter is shorter than the last one (sorry!) but contains some pretty exciting information that's going to rock the boat a bit...just not quite yet. It starts off after the dream, but this time from Regina's perspective. This is the last chapter where we'll be jumping around in time...

The next update will probably be Thursday, as i won't have time to update before then thanks to work and New Years.

Thanks for all the views, favourites and reviews. Criticism/ideas are always appreciated!

Enjoy!

Rosie xx

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><p><span><strong>Fairytale Land 2013<strong>

There was a chill in the oppressive stone walls of Regina's castle when she awoke, as opposed to the usual warmth of her insulated and heated house back in Storybrooke. The light sheen of cold sweat that layered her body also wasn't doing her any favours. She pulled the sheets tighter around herself as she attempted to return her breathing back to a normal rate.

She had seen Emma. As Regina well knew, dreams worked differently in her current realm than in the world where the blonde was, but something about Emma's magical abilities, even when lying dormant, had allowed a dual dream to occur. It was like Henry and Aurora's shared dream. They were either experienced purposely, one person seeking to find another in the dream realm, or subconsciously. Regina suspected that her thoughts of Emma had prompted their dream, and her thoughts about Henry too. One thing she was sure of was that Emma had experienced the exact same thing, wherever she was right now. She had felt her presence. The blonde she saw the previous night had been the real Emma, not a figment of Regina's mind created from memories of the woman.

Seeing Emma, although it had been distressing and emotionally draining, had also been wonderful. There was part of her that had truly been sure that she would never see the other woman's face again, and now she had, all she wanted to do was to see it once more. The moment she had laid her eyes upon Emma her heart jumped into her throat ferociously but that feeling was shattered when Regina realised that the blonde didn't know who she was. It was heartbreaking. It had only been two days, realistically, but Regina missed the woman more than she cared to admit, and she missed her son more than she could put into words.

She had an awkward morning encounter with the Merry Men that featured the supposedly "Evil" Queen practically running – albeit regally - across the yard away from them in order to avoid a situation she didn't think her fragile psyche could cope with at the moment. It wasn't like she would ever _admit _that she was feeling fragile; but Regina just didn't have it in her to fight that day. Last night's dream had left her psychologically drained and the Charmings – mostly Snow - had been exasperatingly annoying at every possible moment. She inadvertently started walking towards the stables, all she wanted to do was go out for a ride and clear her head, escape the noise of the castle, but the only horses they had were packhorses and she couldn't exactly gallop them through the woods. Zelena was also lurking somewhere in area, and after this thought Regina resigned herself to the conclusion that there wouldn't be any riding in the foreseeable future.

She needed to talk to David and Snow about the Merry Men and it was almost evening; she had been putting it off all day. Regina wasn't entirely sure why she was pursuing this whole tattoo fiasco; it was probably something to do with the fact that she was driving herself up the walls already, and really didn't have anything better to do. Nothing could be done at this moment to help reunite her with Henry and Emma, so this was the only thing she could thing of to distract her thoughts away from the two of wasn't sure how to bring the subject up without the Charmings wondering why she was so curious and for a few seconds she contemplated telling them the truth, but this thought fled as quickly as it had arrived.

* * *

><p>Her feet lead her to the courtyard where her favourite apple tree had once stood, the huge circular plot in the centre was now hollow from where the curse had magically uprooted the tree and taken it to Storybrooke. She wished she could have brought it back with her this time, but there hadn't been a spare millisecond to think about how to do so because her mind had been clouded with the emotion of leaving Henry.<p>

Lost in her thoughts, Regina didn't notice David come to a stop next to the white marble bench she was resting on and take a seat silently next to her. They both sat in stillness for a number of minutes, the brunette now noticing who had taken up residence beside her. She glanced at the tall, broad man next to her. She had always been much more amicable with Mr. Charming than with Mrs; he usually didn't share his wife's penchant for meddling and recently, the similarities between he and Emma had been more obvious to her than ever before. She and Snow had too much history for Regina to see any of Emma in her, and they were so vastly different, but the blonde seemed to share an increasing number of characteristics with her father. She was bold and brave, good looking and gallant, confident, a little bit cocky, and Charming in every way he was. Maybe that's why she was contemplating opening up to him.

_You have nothing left to lose at this point Regina. Just ask him. _

Before she spoke, she steeled her face into the most perfect version of her mask. She couldn't deal with the humiliation of what her questions may imply, or let him know that she actually might care about what the result of this whole mess was going to be.

"May I ask you a question?" Regina requested politely as she turned her body to look at the Prince side on.

Ever the gentleman, he gave her a short but reassuring smile and answered, "of course you may Regina." _That sounds like something Emma would say. _

She almost stopped herself, but the emotional trauma of the last few days had forced her guard down and she found herself speaking before her brain could catch up with her mouth.

"This is going to sound strange, but please don't question why I'm asking. I had wondered about your involvement with the Merry Men," she asked formally, then added, "and I am curious about the lion head tattoos."

"Strange questions Regina…but regardless," he began his story, starting from years before Snow or Regina knew him, years before he was even a prince.

"I was living on the farm at the time, with my mother. This was before King George, long before I became Prince James; I was only thirteen or so. We were struggling desperately for money and it was getting so dire that it looked like we might lose our home. I was out in the field one day when Robin and his men came out of the forest. They stopped me and asked if there were any large homes or castles around, or any roads that were commonly travelled by the wealthy aristocracy. Of course, I told him that we were just a small village of farmers with nothing to our names other than the animals we tended. I asked who they were, and they introduced themselves as the Merry Men, they told me that they stole from the rich and gave to the poor…and of course we were desperate, so I asked if I could go with them. Long story short, I left my village and rode with Robin for almost two years. I can't say I was proud of what we did, but we were kids back then, Robin was only my elder by four years. We did what we could, and I returned home every few months with money for my mother. It was shortly after I left them that King George found me and my alias as Prince James began." David stopped for a moment, letting Regina ask any questions she might have.

Dusk was beginning to settle over the immense stone parapets of the castle. The sun now lay low in the sky behind one of the towers, casting the courtyard into shadow. It wasn't cold yet, but the chill of the night crept in around then slowly.

Regina had to admit she was vaguely impressed by David's story. She realised then that she didn't really know all too much about David's past before Snow, and it made her insides glow to think that Snow White's charming prince wasn't always the goody-two-shoes that he was now. She smiled a shit-eating grin…internally of course.

"I had no idea you were such a miscreant Mr. Nolan. Do continue, what about the tattoos…?" she asked hesitantly.

"Well, Robin had the tattoos created with a spell, I'm not sure by whom. They appear on the body once you are fully bonded into the Merry Men. I gained mine after about four months of travelling with them." David moved to continue, but Regina interrupted him before he had the chance.

"You say that they're magically created? I have heard of such a thing before but they stay forever, and I may be mistaken but I have never seen a tattoo on your arm."

"As I was going to say Regina…", he said looking at her accusingly for interrupting him, "I gained mine after four months, but when I left them and was adopted by King George he forced me to have it removed. He said although the crest looked remarkably like his own, the tattoo itself was related to the notorious band of thieves, which is understandable, I suppose. So he took me to the blue fairy and she was able to remove it because a fairy had created the spell in the first place; one who wasn't as powerful as she, so she managed to undo the magic successfully."

"Do you know who this fairy was? The one who created the spell?"

"I have no idea I'm afraid, but I'm sure Robin would still remember. Why did you want to know about this Regina?" he asked, not managing to stifle his nosiness at why the Queen was asking him such specific questions about his past.

Regina rose to her feet then, turning to David before speaking;

"No reason at all, I was just interested. Thank you very much." She said curtly before swishing her dress train and striding across the courtyard, heels clacking emptily on the stone path as she made her way inside the castle.

* * *

><p>Regina spent the next day sitting in her chambers, reading up on several things including magical tattoos and true love, the latter being something that she hadn't realised until now that she didn't know all that much about. The prospect of being sociable today had been too much for her, so instead she watched the interactions of her fellow Storybrooke residents through her magic mirror, all the while keeping a watchful eye out for Zelena.<p>

She sat, waiting for something interesting to ripple across the glass. When she saw Robin and Tinkerbell speaking together in the Great Hall she immediately halted the rotation of mirrors with a click of her fingers. This could be interesting; she wasn't aware that Robin and Tink knew each other, so what could be happening here, she wondered.

Their faces were slightly warped by the undulation of shiny surface, but it was clear enough that Regina could make out their facial expressions, and luckily they were close enough to the mirror that the brunette could just about make out what they were saying.

A look of pure shock covered the woman's face as she began to listen and heard that the two characters in front of her were not strangers…they had met before.

"Well, it certainly has been a while Tink," he said fondly, reaching out and pulling her into a short embrace. "It was such fun when you used to come and ride with us… I will always be upset that you had to leave."

"Oh Robin," Tinkerbell replied in her accented voice, her hand still resting on his upper arm. "I have missed you, and the men. I like to think I broke most of their hearts the day I left," she chuckled.

"You were the Merry Men's own fairy mascot," he said teasingly, "and yes, you almost certainly did, some more than others," he said, remembering the day she left; young Will Scarlet was miserable for weeks. He had been terribly in love with her and her abandonment of the group had almost torn him in two.

Tink grabbed Robin's arm then and admired her handiwork from all those years ago. She ran her fingers over the flesh gently; tracing the lines of the design and using what little magic she had now to make them slightly sharper.

Robin looked up at her then from where he had also been staring at the tattoo.

"It still looks as good today as it did when you created the spell, its barely changed."

The breath Regina had been inhaling caught in her throat and choked her. The anger immediately bubbled up inside of her and she felt the purple power within her crackle with wrath. With a flick of her wrist the mirror was dark.

She reached to the table next to her and found her flask of wine from the previous night. She poured herself a large glass of the rich, red liquid and drained it in two gulps, pouring herself another before she allowed herself to contemplate what she had just seen.

Tinkerbell created these tattoos. She created them _before_she used the fairy dust to find Regina's true love. Regina's mind's eye flashed back to that moment outside the tavern with Tink and she felt humiliated. Tink might not have known which member of the Merry Men was sitting there, but she knew who they were; she knew that it was _one _of them. Regina was beyond furious. Since Neverland she and Tinkerbell had been getting on well, but now all she could wonder was whether Tink had known all along who her true love was and not said anything. She needed to find out. And the fairy needed to pay. It did cross her mind that she shouldn't care this much, but it was a welcome distraction. It wasn't like she really cared that much about having a true love, and she didn't really _want _anyone, other than the pair that had been missing from her life for four days now, she just wanted to know who it was to satisfy her own painful curiosity.


	5. Home Sweet Home

A/N:

Hey guys!

I didn't think I'd get a chance to update today but I ended up finishing work early so here we go! I hope you enjoy this chapter. From here on out everything is set in present day Storybrooke (unless I decide to write some more flashbacks, which I may definitely do – if that's something you guys would like to see). Thank you for the reviews, views and follows and as always comments/criticisms are appreciated.

I'm going to be really busy the next few weeks with exams and life and stuff but I will still try to update every Thursday!

I hope you all had a wonderful NYE, or at least better than mine, which consisted of working a 14 hour shift. Boo. Anyway, have fun, enjoy!

Rosie xx

I do not own Once Upon a Time or any of its characters (otherwise SwanQueen would have been together 3 years ago).

**NYC 2014**

Emma and Hook walked side-by-side through the rush-hour streets of New York back to the apartment. Henry would be home from school by now and the blonde was still trying to figure out how to explain to Henry that she needed him to drink something which looked decidedly like a poison out of one of his books. _Maybe I should just slip it in his hot chocolate? _She asked herself, before promptly deciding that no, she wouldn't do that. Regina would kill her.

Although she was relieved that Hook had been able to find her and return her memories, part of her wished she had just walked away from him that morning and never seen him again. Part of her wished he had never said Regina's name. Her life in New York was good…great even. There were no ogres or curses or maniacal fairytale villains hiding around the corner to ruin her life at any moment. She missed Storybrooke, but she missed the people; her friends and her family, not the actual place. Even though it hadn't been real, life had been so calm in New York, so domesticated, so…normal.

Emma spent the entire walk listening to Hook explain the little he knew about what had happened. Essentially all he knew was that Regina had sent him to find her. He found his ship and Ariel, and managed to transport himself to this world after selling his ship again. He didn't know if the others were back in Storybrooke yet, but that is where they would go. Buried in her own thoughts the blonde hadn't noticed all the shifty looks she and the pirate had been getting as they walked along; probably due to Killian rather than her. The pair crossed the road to Emma's apartment and she buzzed them in, leading Hook up the stairs.

She opened the door to the apartment and immediately laid her eyes on Henry, stretched out regally on the sofa with his feet propped up on the arm, just how Emma imagined Regina would sit if she knew nobody was watching. His beloved book was still in his hand and he didn't even flinch when they came in he was so immersed.

"Henry," Emma said quietly, her apprehensiveness for this conversation showing in her face. Hook stood back slightly, not wanting to greet the boy who didn't yet know who he was.

"Hey Ma," Henry replied nonchalantly, not even bothering to glance up from his book.

"Hey Kid, can you put the book down for one minute," she asked jokily, but her tone was shadowed by something heavier. "I've got someone I want you to meet."

Henry looked up at her sheepishly then, noticing the man in the background. He huffed sarcastically whilst folding over the page of his book and placing it on the coffee table.

Emma gestured to the man standing behind her. "Henry, this is Ho-Killian, we used to – uh – work together," Emma quickly covered. She didn't want to tell him that this man was the cause of the disruption yesterday morning.

"Uhhhh, okay…", he replied warily. His Mom was acting weird, like really weird. And his Mom only acted weird when she was trying to hide something from him. "It's nice to meet you Killian," Henry said, reaching his hand out to shake the pirate's. _Such a little gentleman_, Emma thought, _thanks Regina. _She smiled subconsciously.

Emma walked towards her son as he sat back down on the sofa. Before the awkward silence could take over too much she knelt down in front of him at his eye level and grabbed his hands in her own.

"Henry," she said softly, "this is going to sound really weird," she looked at him for approval, which he gave, "but I need you to just stick with me for a minute okay kiddo?"

He nodded.

"Something bad happened Henry," she said as she watched his face fall.

"Something which you don't remember, and neither did I until Killian helped me. You always tell me to trust my gut, and I did, and Killian helped."

"What do you mean something bad happened?", Henry interrupted, "Are you okay?" His face contorted with confusion and worry.

"Shit…I mean…ugh….I Probably shouldn't have started like that. I'm fine buddy, and so are you, but…god this is hard to explain. Its all going to become clear in a second but right now I just need you to trust me okay?"

"Okay Mom," he said happily, with only a slight hint of apprehension in his voice now. Emma was continually amazed by the trust her son put in her. She didn't feel like she'd ever done much to deserve it, and when she was his age she surely wouldn't have trusted someone so easily.

The blonde looked behind her at Hook, reaching out her hand and wiggling her fingers as a signal. He reached into his pocket then and pulled out the other vial of memory potion, placing it gently in Emma's hand for the second time that day.

Emma turned the bottle over in her hand in contemplation. If she gave Henry the potion, that would be it, they would have to go back. She didn't want to go back, she wanted to stay in their apartment forever and play video games and eat pancakes and popcorn and hide from reality. _But I can't do that can I? Because I'm the Saviour, and I need to save everyone. Again. _The only thing that stopped her from dropping the potion on the ground at that moment was the thought of Regina, how desperate she must have been to send Hook of all people after Henry and his other mother. She hated Hook, but she put her faith in him. Emma realised then that the only person she _really _cared about seeing back in Storybrooke was Regina. If it weren't for her son's adoptive mother she would probably stay in New York and never look back. It wasn't like she didn't want to see her parents again, but even after 4 years there was some unresolved tension between them.

Emma held the small bottle in her hand and extended it to Henry. "I know this makes no sense kid, but I need you to drink this. And I promise, I _promise,_" she emphasised, squeezing his hands just a bit tighter, "everything will make sense if you do."

"You want me to drink that? Why?" Henry asked, confused. He picked up the vial and turned it in his hands, examining it. "It looks like something from Harry Potter… Its not like, the Draught of Living Death or something is it?" he asked, half joking but Emma could tell that he was scared, and unfortunately a sleeping curse was actually something they had experienced before.

"No kid," she laughed in reply, "it's not the Draught of Living Death, I promise. I took one and I'm fine, look!" she said, gesturing to herself.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah, I'll take it," he replied, immediately opening the bottle and emptying it into his mouth.

Damn that kid is brave, Emma thought to herself while Henry's eyes pinged wide open and turned a very light blue colour. She knew what was happening, it had happened to her earlier that day, all of his memories of Storybrooke were flashing through his mind like fast-forwarding a movie. Suddenly, his eyes returned to normal.

"Ma!" Henry cried.

"Henry," she said embracing him and holding him while he got back to grips with reality.

Henry looked up from her shoulder then and jumped to his feet.

"Killian!" he yelled, running over to the older man and hugging round his waist. "Well done, you did good. It can't have been easy to convince Emma to take that potion."

"No it wasn't boy," he laughed, "there was a _lot _of shouting."

"Now now, I didn't shout _that _much. Thanks for coming to find us Hook, I really appreciate it." Emma said as she ruffled her son;s hair lovingly.

The pirate looked happy with himself. "You're welcome Swan, but I didn't really have much of a choice. When the Evil Queen gives you orders, you don't say no," he smirked.

"My Mom sent you?" Henry said, his face lighting up even more than it did when he saw Emma again. "I knew she'd figure something out!"

He turned to his other mother then, "Ma, we need to go and find her. We need to go now! Please?"

"I don't know Henry, what we have here is good, its great. And there's no magical monsters or crazy immortal children to take you away." She looked upset, but Henry always knew exactly what to say to her.

"Mom, a hero would go back. You're the Saviour. So you have to be the hero. Please? What if Mom and Gram and Gramps are in danger?"

Emma was emotionally exhausted, but she knew that he son was right.

"Okay kid, lets just gather some things together." She looked over to Killian then, a thankful smile playing on her features.

"I guess we're going to Storybrooke…"

**Storybrooke 2014**

Regina strode briskly out of the front door of 108 Mifflin Street and into the icy winter air. As she walked down the path, a light sheen of snow covering the way towards her Benz which was in exactly the same spot as it had been a year ago, she reflected on how surreal it still felt to be back in Storybrooke without her son or his mother.

The curse that had brought them back again had recreated the town exactly as she had created it all those years ago. As far as Regina had seen everything was exactly the same, down to even the minutest details, and from this she concluded that the person who cast the curse must be a pretty powerful practitioner of magic. But the problem was, they didn't know who had sent them there. All Regina knew was that she had met the person in that missing year. She must have. She knew that there were some things that were very important; fundamental clues in working all of this out, but it was as if she was half drugged and her fuzzy brain just couldn't pinpoint anything.

Her mind was on such an analytical overdrive that whilst driving through the middle of town - past the library and the clock tower - on her way to the Town Hall for a meeting about the newly enacted curse and its castor, she almost missed the bright yellow bug parked just outside Granny's Diner. The former Queen applied the brakes so suddenly that she lurched forward, almost hitting her head on the steering wheel in the process.

Regina killed the engine suddenly, yanking off her seatbelt while she looked around her for any sign of her son and Emma, _but of course they're in Granny's_, she thought, _they don't even bother to come and find me; they just fill their stomachs, of course. _She couldn't help but grin to herself at the idea that just through the door, Henry and Emma were sitting in their booth shovelling fries and hamburgers into their faces whilst gulping down large mouthfuls of hot cocoa, undoubtedly with cinnamon on top. She doubted that either of them had changed that much.

She glanced up at the clock tower that was still frozen; the Saviour may have returned but they certainly had a lot of work to go before the curse was broken.

The brunette steeled herself for several long minutes, looking around the town and taking in her creation once more. When she realised she was simply delaying inevitable she clutched her keys painfully in her hand and stepped out of the Mercedes. She locked the car behind her and took one last deep, longing breath before she pulled out the Evil Queen façade. Her eyes narrowing, posture straightening, until she was ready to walk through the door of Granny's and be greeted with the two faces that had been ingrained into her mind for the last year.

Gently, she pushed the worn wooden door, feeling some of the flaking paint fall as her hand moved against the frame. A sharp ringing broke the tension Regina felt in the air and the bell above the door sounded to show that someone had entered. Immediately she found her eyes flitting around the small room, taking in all the patrons until they came to rest upon a pair of sparkling emerald pools. She allowed herself to drown in the weightlessness that those eyes provided her for only a few seconds before she moved her gaze to the not-so-small form coming towards her.

"Mom!" Henry yelled, running full pelt across the diner and into Regina's open arms. It had only been a year, but he had grown so much and his voice was at least an octave lower than it had been when she had last seen him.

"Henry", was all the he brunette mother could manage before tears began slipping down her cheeks freely. In this moment she didn't care what everyone thought of her, because the moment she had been dreaming of for what seemed like forever was finally coming true.

After a long minute, Henry pulled his head up from Regina's chest and looked up at her, tears in his own eyes.

"I missed you so much Mom," he said, gazing up at her with all the emotion she had craved for years after Emma Swan had arrived in Storybrooke. "Sorry we didn't come straight to find you but we were really hungry," he said cheekily, looking over at his other mother then, who was still gazing at Regina in what appeared to be awe.

Henry grabbed Regina's hand and practically dragged her over to the booth in the far corner, their booth.

Emma watched the pair as they came towards her, her heart beating in her chest. She hadn't known how she would feel when she saw Regina, but now all she could think about was the dream she'd had during the missing year. It made her heart ache in a special way for her son's other mother, because she knew how desperate Regina had been to see her son again, and now her dream was real.

Regina and Henry slid into the booth across from the blonde, the woman a lot more graceful than her now gangly son.

"Hi", Emma said, looking Regina nervously in the eye and giving her a shy smile. The blonde was still in shock that she was actually here, in Storybrooke. This time two days ago she had been happily making breakfast for her son, completely unaware that Regina or Storybrooke or even her own mother existed. _Crap, _Emma thought, _Snow. _However, her train of thought was interrupted when Regina replied.

"Hi", Regina said, also somewhat nervously. "So, Hook found you then I take it? Or did he fail in his task and you magically got back here on your own?" She said, smirking.

"The man travelled through worlds, found me, convinced me to drink some potion and brought us back to you and you still hate him?" Emma laughed externally, but internally she was berating herself. _'Brought us back to you', really Emma? Really? _However the former Queen didn't seem to notice Emma's slip up.

"I wish I could have seen him making Ma drink the potion", Henry giggled, "It must have been hilarious."

"Hey, enough Kid, eat your hamburger and be quiet," she scalded him jokingly, wiggling her finger in his general direction.

Regina laughed halfheartedly at her son, she really was intrigued as to how Hook convinced Emma that fairytale characters really existed.

"So, what made you drink it? What made you listen to him?" Regina asked quietly.

"Well," Emma laughed, still appalled at how tactless the pirate had been, "first he turned up at our door, called me Swan, and kissed me, which needless to say didn't work and only made me angry", she chuckled. The blonde looked up at Regina to see a frown on her face, she liked to think that it was the mention of Hook kissing her, not that Regina had any reason to be jealous, but in reality it was probably the thought of Hook kissing anyone; something which turned Emma's stomach slightly too and she had had the misfortune to experience it.

"And…", Regina asked questioningly, bringing Emma back to the matter at hand.

"Then, he stalked me on my way to work, which obviously made me more angry. But then he said something that made me consider humouring him, so I did. I spoke to him after work and he showed me the picture of Henry and I here last year, which confused the hell out of me and then he started talking about my superpower. He asked me to use it on him, and I could tell he wasn't lying, so I drank the potion and bam, memories." Emma smiled at Regina, emphasising he final sentence with a childish splay of her fingers.

"What did he say which made you change your mind? It must have been something pretty profound even for the pirate?" The other woman asked, glancing down at her son who was almost finished with his meal now. Having him back next to her was like everything she had ever dreamed of.

"Ummm, uhhh," Emma choked. It wasn't that she didn't want to tell Regina that it had been the woman herself that had changed her mind, it was that she didn't particularly want to tell the brunette about the dream she had had. She thought it might come off a bit creepy. _Oh hey I had a subconscious dream about you and felt so attached to you even though I didn't know who you were that I was convinced by a strange pirate man into drinking a weird blue potion. No, _Emma speculated, _I won't be telling her that anytime soon. _"It was nothing really, just something that jogged my memory I guess," she covered, badly.

Regina looked suspicious, but decided not to push it.

"Anyway", Emma continued, "we've heard a few things about what happened to everyone here, but I'd rather hear it from you. How did you guys even get back?"

"Well, that's under speculation at the moment. We have a town meeting in", she checked her watch, "fifteen minutes, where we will be discussing events. No one has any memory of the year, all we know is that another curse was cast. And not by me this time," she pointed out proudly, "and we don't know who did it, or what his or her motives are. Hopefully we shall be able to make some progress in this meeting. And afterwards," she turned to Henry now, "young man, we are going to get ice cream and you must tell me everything about New York, okay?"

"Definitely," he replied happily, resting his head on his mother's shoulder for a strange sideways hug before they all got up and headed to the Mercedes.

* * *

><p>Emma, Henry and Regina all arrived at the town hall together. It was only when they were entering that Emma realised that she hadn't yet seen her mother or father and that there would likely be some hugging and a large amount of crying on Snow's part.<p>

As they walked through the lobby Regina's heels clacked on the polished floor, her signature sound, and yet another thing which Emma didn't want to admit she had missed. A low rumble of voices could be heard as they approached the meeting room, Emma's arm around Henry's shoulders and Regina's hand tucked tightly into his, like she never wanted to let him go again.

The shrill sound of her mother's voice accosted Emma's ears before they'd even reached the room, as she and David were standing outside in the long corridor.

"Emma! Henry!" Snow screamed, in true Snow fashion. She ran towards them, Regina stepping out of the way just in time before she pulled her daughter and grandson into her arms.

"You're back!" she said, her face pressed somewhere between Emma's shoulder and Henry's head.

"Yup", Emma said, pulling back from the hug to look across at her father, a huge smile breaking out on her face, "we're back!" Emma and Henry both hugged Charming, whose excitement at their return had been drowned out by his wife's overzealous approach.

As her mother pulled away Emma felt as brush against her stomach and looked down. It was now that she noticed for the first time that her mother was pregnant. Emma unintentionally stretched out her arm and laid a hand on her mother's protruding stomach.

"You guys…?" Emma said, looking up at Snow and Charming with bright eyes and a smile stretching across her lips. Before the blonde could finish her mother interrupted.

"Yes," Snow announced with a smile to her daughter, "I hope that's not too weird for you…I can see why it would be… but..."

"No of course not, its fine, great even. Everything's weird around here, weird is good. It has been completely unweird where we've been and…its good to be home," Emma interrupted, looking down at her son and giving him a cheeky smile.

Before Emma realised what was happening Snow was yanking Regina into an embrace. She almost laughed out loud, because the situation really was weird, it was bizarre, and because Regina's face at that moment was a picture. She looked like she didn't know whether to teleport the hell out of there or summon her fireball or just accept it but before she had the chance to do any of those things Snow was pulling away and clasping her shoulders in those small bird-like hands.

"Regina," Snow began sincerely, making eye contact with the former Queen as she continued, "I just want to say thank you, because its entirely your doing that Emma and Henry are safe and alive and _here_", she emphasised, "so thank you Regina, really."

Regina wasn't entirely sure what to say in response. Mostly she was stunned, no one, well, no one other than Emma, had ever validated anything she'd done, or told her she had done a good job at anything, so instead of giving her former enemy phoney gratitude she told her the truth.

"It means a lot that you would say that Snow, but truly, I kept them safe and alive and brought them back here just as much for me as for anyone else", she said, looking across at Emma and Henry. "Plus I don't even remember doing it. However, as much as I hate to admit it, we really owe their return to the pirate. He did all the work, I just formulated the plan… apparently."

"I guess I shall have to thank Killian too then", said Snow, "maybe we could invite him round for dinner as a thank you?" she said, winking at Emma.

"Ew, Mom, stop, that's never happening. Ever." Emma said.

Snow raised her eyebrows suggestively at her daughter, "if you say so."

"Anyway," Regina said, drawing the attention away from Snow's attempt to match make her daughter yet again, and on to the matter at hand, "do we or do we not have a curse caster to catch?"

"Why yes, I believe we do," David replied, wanting to get out of the conversation that was steering towards his little girl's love life. She might not be his little girl now, nor have ever been, but it was still strange to think of her with any man, especially Hook.

"Lets catch this bitch," Emma stated matter-of-factly, not without a glare from Regina.

"It's okay Mom", he said to his brunette mother, "I've been living with her for a year, I know that word already."

"Miss Swan," she said looking pointedly at Emma, but with a smile broaching her features, "I do hope you haven't been teaching our son profanities again."


	6. The Two Who Mean The Most

A/N:

Hey Guys!

Another update for you! I'm in the middle of exams at the moment and they're crushing my soul and destroying my sanity so apologies in advance for any grammatical errors or atrocious spellings I missed! All I can think about is Philosophy…it's taking over. I hope you enjoy this chapter; it's another short one so apologies for that as well. Thank you to those of you that continue to review every chapter, you make my day.

Happy reading, enjoy!

Rosie xx

(I do not own Once Upon A Time or any of its characters. No copyright intended)

* * *

><p>The sun was shining through the trees, reflecting off of the water's surface. Birds fluttered in the canopy of trees above the pair. This was one of Regina's favourite places in Storybrooke that she had created and she had always enjoyed coming down here to get away from everything that had plagued her, all the emotions that she had had to deal with over the last 30 years. Time may have been frozen, but for Regina it hadn't been and she had spent an inordinate amount of time before Henry alone with her thoughts; occupied constantly with…she wouldn't say guilt…but with a cacophony of destructive thoughts about everything she had gone through in her life. This was her safe place. She had started bringing Henry here when he was a child, to spend quality time with him away from all the stress and suffocation that being the mayor of a cursed town brought upon her. She had always enjoyed being in nature, though especially when she had the galloping hooves of a horse underneath her.<p>

Regina and Henry walked along in silence, mostly because Henry was too focused on his ice cream to talk much. The brunette couldn't help but think that even though Henry had grown up this past year he was still the same Henry that she had loved his entire life. They walked slowly towards the bench, which sat directly in front of the pond, and sat down as Henry was just about finished with his ice cream.

Once they began talking they couldn't stop. They talked about everything that had happened in the last year. Henry took up his usual role of chief storyteller. He told her tales of the apartment that he and Emma lived in, he told her about his friends, his favourite places to eat and what he did on weekends. He informed her about school and she was glad to hear that Emma hadn't been lax in that department, but then the parenting skills she had given Emma when destroying the curse hadn't left much room for failure on that part.

The stories Regina enjoyed the most, however, were stories about his other mother. He told her of amusing times they had had and funny things that his mother had done. He retold one particularly amusing story of Emma's attempt to made homemade pancakes, which ended up with two firefighters, 4 neighbours and the building manager in their apartment, much to the blonde's embarrassment. From that day on, Henry confessed, still giggling from the recollection of the story, she had used shop-bought mix. Regina laughed out loud at Emma's unbelievable failure and made a mental note to teach Emma how to make proper pancakes one day. The brunette was so unbelievably glad that that they had been happy, because she had used that thought to reassure herself for the 370 days that they had been apart. The thought that they were happy, and that she had given them a good life, because that was really all that mattered, even if her life ad been filled with misery for the rest of eternity.

Henry did give Regina a chance to tell her stories too, and once they started talking about that they were off again. Henry wanted to know everything about Fairytale Land, forgetting that she didn't remember any of it. But she began telling him stories about things that had happened there before the curse. Not the bad things, of course, but the good things. He asked about the curse as well, and Regina told him what she knew, because he was old enough now not to be lied to and really for his own safety he needed to know what they were up against, so he could be on the lookout. Regina did not plan on Neverland happening again, ever. But she let herself forget about that now, because it wasn't the time. She was with her son, and she had been dreaming about this for what felt like forever, so she drank it all in and just appreciated being with him in that moment.

* * *

><p>The town meeting had been stressful and frustrating. No one even had the faintest idea who they were looking for, or what they were up against so it was decided that they would search Storybrooke and watch out for any suspicious behaviour. There had been the obligatory blaming of Regina, from Grumpy especially, but Emma put that to rest rather quickly by saying that there would be absolutely no accusing Regina of anything, and that as the saviour she wouldn't tolerate it from anyone. Regina was innocent this time, she had voiced, much to everyone's shock.<p>

Mr. Gold was present but unusually quiet and spent the duration of the meeting sat at the rear end of the hall with Belle, Emma had noticed. He was asked his opinion during the discussion and simply replied that he was remaining unaligned. This didn't go down well with almost everyone, but they also knew that there was nothing they could do to force him to obey them, he was the Dark One after all. They all simply hoped that he wasn't secretly fighting for the other side. Neal was sat as far away as humanly possible from Gold and as close as possible to Emma, something which didn't go unnoticed by the blonde. She wondered if her mother had a hand in that particular occurrence, as it was unlikely that her mother would ever stop trying to reunite her with her "true love", or any man for that matter.

Snow and Charming justly assumed that whoever it was would at some point make a move on the town hall to try and gather information. Regina also suspected that the person in question was after her, mainly because she was the former Queen and if anyone had done something to warrant cursing then it would almost definitely have been her. There was talk of Jafar's involvement, or the return of Maleficent, but neither had been seen so far which likely meant that they hadn't been cursed back.

Everyone one had been paired up in the hunt for the witch or wizard that had cast the curse; Snow with Charming, Red with Belle, Blue with Granny and Emma with Regina. Both women masked their actual happiness at being together and pretended to be ambivalent about the whole thing. Little did they know that they were both secretly pleased to be forced to spend time together. Their first task was to try and see if they replicate the memory potion that had restored Emma and Henry's memories.

That is how the two women found themselves walking into the mayor's office, having just left the town meeting. Luckily, Emma had the bottles on her person, so they were able to get started right away. The blonde took in the desk in front of her that was covered in technical looking science equipment and some magical looking things too. There was a big, old, worn book sitting on the edge of the oak desk. It was obviously from Fairytale Land and Emma reckoned it to look at least 500 years old. She turned and sat down in the chair at Regina's desk and reached into her pocket to pull out the vials, which she placed gently on the table.

It was obvious that Regina had been trying to create this potion since she had returned five days previously, and she picked up right where she left off. With a well-practiced flick of her hand the water in several tubes began bubbling, and several seconds later a clear liquid began dribbling down slowly into a flask beneath. Emma watched intently as Regina ground something in a pestle and mortar.

"You've been trying to make this already then I guess?" Emma asked politely. She often didn't know how to act around her son's other mother when they were alone. The woman was always so polite to her but today she had said some things which had made Emma believe that they really were friends.

"Yes," Regina answered, a hint of sadness pushing through behind her mask. "As soon as we arrived here and realised that no one remembered anything I set straight to work attempting to make a memory potion. But so far I haven't been successful. I have limited ingredients, some aren't in the quantities I need.

Emma leant her elbows on the desk, her head resting on her hands. She leant forward to get closer to what Regina was doing and looked up at the brunette.

"You can do this," Emma encouraged, "You were the evil fucking queen for christ's sake, you can make a memory potion. It like child's play." Emma smiled up at her and for a second Regina couldn't tear her eyes away from the grinning face in front of her. Gods, she had wanted to see it for so long and now it was finally here she didn't know what to do other than stare aimlessly.

Regina picked up the test tube containing the grey powder, and then picked up the glass flask containing the liquid. She poured one into the other and swirled it around with a small delicate mental spoon.

"Did it work?" Emma asked preemptively, almost childish in her excitement.

"There's only one way to find out", Regina replied looking directly at the blonde. She raised the container to her lips and drank it all in one graceful shot. Emma's mind wandered for a second and debated what Regina would look like taking a shot of tequila…now that was something she wanted to see.

Regina looked up at the far side of the room, but her eyes seemed like they were looking at something else.

"Do you remember?"

The brunette's features suddenly constricted into a frown. Without warning Regina launched the flask across the room where it smashed violently against the wall. Shards of glass littered the floor around the doorframe.

Emma flinched away, cringing her eyes closed. "Either that wall did something really bad to you in the last year or it didn't work…" She smoothed the hair behind her ear and sat up straight again, leaning her arms back on the desk in front of her.

"I thought I had it right this time," Regina stated angrily as she turned around, looking at the table in front of her. Suddenly, her eyes sparkled and she looked across the table to Emma, seeing the vials in front of her.

"Could you please pass me those bottles?" she asked, reaching over the kit to grab them out of Emma's hand.

"Have you had an idea? Please tell me you've had an idea…because I'm kind of bored. I never was very good at science," Emma laughed.

"Maybe." The brunette said warily, "I think that maybe if I can get anything out of these bottles, I can perform a replication spell on it to make more. It's quite advanced and something which I have only done a few times but it could work."

"Then lets do it. Maybe then we can start waking some people up and finding out who the hell cast this curse. I'm really getting sick of curses," Emma said with distain.

"Well that the price of being the Saviour dear," Regina said mockingly, her mouth rose in just the tiniest hint of a smile. "Thank you."

Emma looked up at Regina sincerely, "for what?"

"You saw how quick some people in this town were to blame me, but you believe I didn't cast the curse. So thank you, for sticking up for me. I know we've mostly been…" she searched for the right word, eyes locking with Emma's as she considered he words carefully, "opposed, to each other. So I appreciate that must have been hard for you."

"No," Emma replied quickly, shocking Regina. "It wasn't hard for me, I know you didn't cast that curse. My superpower might not always be flawless but for some reason I always know when you're lying Regina."

Regina was at a loss for words. She stared at Emma for several long seconds just trying to process what the blonde had said to her. Emma believes me. No one ever believes me. Emma's confession meant more to Regina that she ever thought she would be able to put into words, especially considering that the former sheriff had advocated for her on more than one occasion now.

For probably the first time since she was a child being berated by her mother, Regina stuttered, "I…I don't know what to say Emma," she replied to the woman sitting across the table from her.

"You don't have to say anything. I just feel like its time we were on the same side", Emma replied. The blonde's mind drifted back to the dream she'd had last year, the one with Regina in, before she even knew who Regina was. Even then she'd felt a connection to her, and when the brunette had told her to tell Henry she loved him, Emma had known that she wasn't lying. But they couldn't talk about this now, and maybe not ever, because as far as the blonde was aware her son's other mother had no recollection of this dream.

The brunette looked at her son's other mother somewhat nervously, "If you wanted to, you and Henry are welcome to stay with me at the mansion. The apartment must be rather small, especially with the baby on the way, and I have ample room. You don't have to give me an answer right now, but the offer is there if you so wish to accept."

Emma had intended to graciously decline the offer, to tell Regina that she was looking for a place for them and thank her for the suggestion, but instead what came out of her mouth without a moment's hesitation was the complete opposite.

"Yes, I mean, if that's okay, I know Henry would love to spend more time with you but I wouldn't want to get in the way. I'm already looking for a place for us so it wouldn't be for very long," Emma answered.

"You wont get in the way at all, it would be my pleasure."


	7. Witch Bitch

A/N:

Hey guys!

Apologies for the late update, I finished exams on Wednesday and went to visit a friend in Germany for the weekend which was awesome but meant that I was without a laptop for 5 days! So I hope you enjoy this chapter, this is where I pretty much start ignoring everything that the idiots have written. There's some cute moments in here that I think ya'll might like. I'll try and update again at the weekend.

Thanks as always for the reads, follows and favs, it means a lot!

Enjoy!

Rosie xx

(I do not own Once or any of its characters, no copyright intended)

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><p>"So," Regina drawled in a purposely bored tone, glancing up at Emma whose head was propped up by her hand, "we just sit here and what? Wait?" she asked sarcastically.<p>

Emma looked back at her with eyebrows raised, "Yup, until whoever cast the curse makes a move on your office," she said levelheadedly. The two women were now camped outside the Town Hall in Emma's yellow bug, watching intently for any movement within. They set up a trap for the perpetrator, leaving what looked like memory potion bottles inside so that whoever broke in would think they had sabotaged their mission regain their memories. In reality all the ingredients had been transported to Regina's vault and sealed away behind a blood charm so that no one would be able to get to them.

Regina clearly didn't have the patience for this kind of endeavour. She gazed at Emma who was gazing out of the window. Following Emma's eye line she could see that the blonde appeared to be looking at an extraordinarily interesting shrub. The former Queen attempted to rein in her snarky comments, but boredom brought it out of her.

"So this is really what you do for a living?" she smirked, her face not hidden back behind her mask when Emma looked her way. The Saviour, however, looked at her with that very Emma Swan-ish face of hers and simply agreed.

"Uh-huh, it's called a stake out." She said looking back over at the shrub with a docile grin on her features. It was almost as if she was purposely ignoring Regina's attempts to rile her up.

"And you don't get…bored?" Regina answered, rolling her eyes in her signature fashion.

Emma replied quickly, looking back at Regina and picking up her Granny's takeaway coffee cup, "Well yeah but there's things to do. Eat, talk, watch, which is what we should be doing now…" she said as she reverted her gaze to the building in front of them.

There was silence between the two for a few minutes until Emma noticed that Regina was fidgeting, something that she assumed was from the boredom but was still exceedingly uncharacteristic for the Mayor. She looked at her questioningly.

"Henry, he really was happy in New York?" Regina asked, attempting to hide her feelings by paying attention to the road in front of them.

"Yeah, we both were", Emma answered truthfully. She didn't want to make Regina sad, or mad, or whatever. But they had been; they hadn't known any different at the time.

"He had friends? I mean he told me about a few of them, but I just want to make sure you really did have a good life," The former Queen continued.

Emma laughed then, "Yes Regina, he had friends, lots of friends. No girlfriends yet though, that I know of", she smiled.

For both women the thought of their little boy having a girlfriend was strange and something they didn't think they were quite ready for yet.

"And our life was great, really great. I almost didn't come back because of that. But in the end I had to, and Henry wanted to of course. He may have had friends there but they never would have compared to the family he has here. And that goes for both of us." Emma looked up at Regina then, really looked at her.

The brunette saw the tiny flecks of yellow in Emma otherwise emerald pools, reflected in the streetlamp above. That one look conveyed everything they needed to say to each other for now; that Emma had brought Henry back here for Regina, so that she could have her son back and he could be near his family. That was all Regina needed to know at this moment in time.

After a few moments of staring at each other Emma was the first to break eye contact.

"You know, I really did consider not coming back, but then something Henry said to me immediately changed my mind." Emma's eyes glazed over, and Regina had to prompt her to continue speaking.

"What did he say?" she said, smiling straight ahead.

"He said a hero would come back." Emma answered, returning Regina's smile.

"That certainly sounds like something he would say." The sentiment made Regina happy, which was strange for her. But it made her realise how well she had taught her son. He was every bit as brave, selfless and all-round wonderful as she had hoped he would be.

Emma moved her eyes away from Regina and up to the window of the Town Hall. It took her eyes a second to adjust but when they did she realised that there was a shadow in the window, someone moving.

"Look!" Emma said pointing upwards, "we've got them!"

The two women launched themselves out of the car immediately, Regina somewhat more gracefully than Emma who almost tripped over her own feet in the hurry. They ran towards the Town Hall, Emma in front with her gun aimed and ready, torch shining to lead the way in front of them.

Quietly, they made their way through the maze of corridors and upstairs, to Regina's office. All the time no more than several inches away from each other. Regina pressed close behind Emma in an effort to get to their destination faster.

"So who ever is in there is trapped?" Emma whispered as they walked up to the door, "They can't get out?"

"No, I sealed the room with blood-magic, trust me, I know what I'm doing." The blonde didn't even need to look at her partner's face to know that there was a raised eyebrow pairing that comment.

The brunette waived her leather-gloved hand over the lock and there was a small glimmer of purple across the surface of the metal. Emma raised her hand and motioned for Regina to go in behind her, after all, she was the one with the weapon. The two women stepped carefully into the room their senses heightened and hairs on edge. Regina shone her torch around the room, taking in al the broken equipment, smashed vials and flasks littering the floor.

"Over there!" Emma yelled, aiming her gun at the hooded figure in the corner of Regina's now trashed office. But before either woman could do anything, the intruder disappeared in a sea of green smoke.

"I thought you said…" Emma began to ask as both women lowered their weapons and flashlights. Emma clicked on the office light.

"I know what I said," Regina looked utterly perplexed, "No one can break through blood magic, no matter how powerful. Not even Rumple… Unless…"

"Unless what?" Emma prompted her.

"Unless they are of blood relation," the brunette said solemnly. Emma watched as she walked over to where the sorcerer had disappeared. She stopped, and breathed in deeply two times. It wasn't the time to ask now, but Emma suspected that Regina could smell the magic and therefore the person who cast it…or something like that. She remembered the scent of magic in the mines that night when they had combined their magic to try and stop the trigger. Emma could still feel crackling of the magic in her hands and in the air around her. So she supposed that it made sense for more advanced practitioners of magic to be able to feel a person from their magic. The more Emma got acquainted with magic the more she felt attracted to it, and at some point she planned to ask Regina to teach her, when they had a spare minute that wasn't filled with trying to save everyone, again.

Regina turned around, "I think she's female, the magic is very dark but it isn't from a man. She's powerful."

"But your mother is dead," Emma said, looking up at Regina for definite confirmation. She received a nod in return. "Then who the hell are we dealing with…"

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><p>Emma's bug drove along Mifflin Street, the engine of the car the only sound on the silent road. The town was eerily quiet and Emma knew that it was because everyone was too afraid to leave their homes. She slid her hand along the steering wheel to turn the car in towards the pavement, then killed the engine and paused for several seconds. Regina thought that the other woman was going to say something, but instead she turned towards the door and slid out of the car onto the sidewalk. The brunette followed suit and they walked in silence together along the path, the vast white walls of the house looming ahead of them.<p>

Emma noticed that there was a light on in the living room and extended her arm behind her to stop Regina from coming any closer.

"There's someone in the house Regina," Emma loud-whispered.

"I know dear, I can see that. Lets go and find out who it is shall we?", she moved Emma aside and marched towards the house. "Whoever this is is related to me. Now its personal," she snarled.

Emma could see the smirk on Regina's face even though her back was turned. It was the Evil Queen smirk. Terrifying. Secretly though, Emma found it kind of sexy.

Regina breezed up the stone steps and swiftly unlocked the door with Emma now following closely on her heels. The blonde, who then turned around to find the brunette halfway across the lobby, shut the door quietly. She crept quickly across and when her foot caused the floorboard to creak she earned a stern look from her companion. They stood either side of the door, Regina's hand poised to turn the ornate gold handle under her fingers. She looked briefly up at Emma, who nodded that she was ready. The door opened forcefully, and the pair looked frantically around the room, and saw that it was not their enemy they were facing, sitting comfortably on the sofa reading, but their son.

"Kid what are you doing here?" Emma asked her son worriedly. "Are you here on your own?"

The only thing that Regina could think was that he had come here by himself. He had been outside, wandering the streets and anything could have happened to him. If whoever cast this curse had a vendetta against Regina, then she was sure they would do anything to get hold of Henry, and she wasn't letting that happen ever again.

"Ma, Mom, I'm sorry, I just…uhhh… couldn't stay at Grandma and Grandpa's," he sad looking shifty, and slightly embarrassed.

"What happened Henry," Regina asked, her face an unsettling mix of concern and anger. "What in the world prompted you to walk here alone when there's a Witch hiding somewhere in this town. You know better than that," she scolded.

Henry looked up apprehensively. Sometimes he hated having two Moms, because when you did something bad it was _double_ as bad. "I know I do, and I promise, I do, but…" Henry trailed off.

"Henry Mills tell me what is going on this instant," his brunette mother said with finality, moving slightly closer to him to enforce her presence further.

The young boy threw his hands up in the air and looked at Emma, he seemed to embarrassed to say whatever it was he had to say whilst maintaining eye contact with Regina.

"They …were…. uhh… theywerehavingsex," he said, expelling the words out all in one breath.

Emma's hand didn't reach her mouth in time and to Regina's vexation a snort and muffled laughter came from her son's ever so immature mother.

"Emma Swan I will not tolerate laughing at a time like this," her face even more irate than it had been before Henry let out his confession.

"I'm sorry!" Emma said defensively, to gathering herself back together and focusing on the fact that what her son did was really dangerous. "But that is literally the only excuse I would have accepted from him," she said looking at Regina, then turning to Henry. "There could have been an earthquake or a fire or a murder and I would have yelled at you for coming back here alone but you know what Kid, I don't even blame you." She was still having trouble reigning in the smirk on her face, which now matched the one on their son's face.

Regina looked at her in anguish for several seconds before allowing the smallest of smiles to grace her gorgeous features. She looked pointedly at her son.

"I'll be very disappointed if this happens again Henry. And you're taking the trash out for a week." The former Queen had decided to let it go this time. She span on her heels and strutted towards the kitchen. "Anyone want cocoa?" she asked innocently.

"I don't even live here!" Henry said loudly back to her.

"Yes you do!" Regina's sing-song tone drifted in through the open door from the kitchen across the hall.

"What?" Henry asked, staring up at Emma with bright eyes.

"We're gonna stay here for a while Henry, give David and Snow some space," she said, her face breaking out into a cheeky grin again. Henry chuckled along with her and she slapped him playfully on the head. "Lets go kid or we're gonna make your Mom even more mad," she laughed.

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><p>Emma ran her hands across the deep purple velvet of the luxurious couch while she sat awkwardly in Regina's study waiting for her to put Henry to bed. They had eaten a beautiful lasagna, made by the Queen herself, with apple pie for dessert. It was Henry's favourite meal, and it was beginning to become Emma's too. The blonde had busied herself with washing up the dishes and when Regina still hadn't returned she went into the study and lit a fire in the huge stone hearth. It wasn't cold, but she lit it anyway. She had never had a fireplace anywhere she had lived as a child and she thought it made the house feel homey.<p>

The blonde rose to her feet, brushed her hands down her legs to smooth out her jeans and wiggled her socked feet against the plush rug underneath them. There was a picture of Henry and Regina on one of the shelves holding Regina's many books that had caught her attention and Emma wandered aimlessly over to get a closer look. They were by Henry's castle; it looked to be the first day it had opened, as Henry could be seen holding a huge blue ribbon. He was much younger and Emma could see the grin stretching across his little face, almost mirrored in size by the one on his mother opposite him. Neither was looking at the camera and it was better that way, Emma could really see the happiness on both their faces even though they didn't know the photograph was being taken.

The blonde, lost in her own world, was oblivious to Regina quietly entering the room.

"Snooping are we Miss Swan?", Emma heard behind her. For the second time in as many hours she could see the smirk on the brunette's face.

"No," Emma replied, turning around quickly, "Sorry, I was just looking at this picture of you and Henry. Its beautiful."

Between the way Emma was smiling at her and the way her eyes were glistening in the low light, Regina struggled to formulate an answer to the simple statement the blonde had aired.

"Thank you," she replied whilst moving further into the room and toward the drinks cabinet. "It was a wonderful day, he was so happy then," the words said nostalgically.

Looking up at Emma she continued, "Would you care for a drink? A glass of Cider?"

"After the day we've had I think I might be in need of something stronger…"

"Will Whiskey suffice?" Regina asked with eyebrows raised.

Emma replied with a laugh, "Yeah, I think so."

The former Queen retrieved the two drinks; both double Whiskeys on the rocks, and brought them over to the sofa where Emma was now sitting comfortably with her feet tucked underneath her. Elegantly as ever, Regina placed the drinks carefully on the table and slipped off her lacquered black stilettos. She then mimicked the blonde's position on the couch but at the opposite end. They took the first few sips of their drinks in silence, both pairs of eyes trained on the fire in front of them.

Emma glanced over at Regina. It was peculiar to see her son's other mother in such a relaxed environment. There was something about seeing the "Evil Queen" barefoot in tights which took the fear out of her name. Emma laughed almost silently to herself at the absurdity of everything in her life right now, but the woman across from her noticed all the same.

"Something funny Miss Swan?" Regina asked brusquely, but underneath Emma could tell that she had to try harder than usual to keep up her façade.

"No, no, nothing," Emma said gaining another look from Regina. "Really, its just… I'm back in Storybrooke and nothing had changed. Only everything has changed. Its been a year, there's another Villain to defeat, Henry's grown up, my parents are having another baby, you've changed, yet it still feels exactly the same."

Regina looked at her, puzzled, "I know…" she paused again, "I'm not explaining this very well…" Emma looked embarrassed.

"No," Regina said looking at Emma sincerely this time. She shuffled her foot underneath her and picked up her glass before continuing, "I understand. Remember, I lived the same day in this town for thirty years. And I understand that you feel like you're stuck here." Regina looked as if she wanted to say something else but she didn't. Emma contemplated asking her but she didn't know if it would just make things awkward. She sipped her drink again, and then took the remaining liquid in one gulp.

There was silence for several minutes. Emma was entirely sure that Regina was a pyromaniac, not only because of her proficiency at fireballs, but also because of the way her eyes locked onto the fire like they were mesmerised. It was like she was watching something happen within the flames.

"I've changed?" Regina asked nervously out of nowhere. Emma still didn't think it was what she had intended to say, but she went along with it anyway.

"Yeah…" Emma hesitated. Had Regina changed? Or was it because the only memory Emma had had of Regina for the last year had been the woman she saw in her dream? _She has changed, _thought Emma. _She has. She's not evil anymore, not that I ever thought she was, really. _"You…uhh…", Emma smiled up at Regina while she moved her legs from under her and stretched them out across the couch, resting with her knees up and her back leaning on the arm of the sofa. She was graced with the woman's best 'spit it out' look.

"You're not the Evil Queen anymore. Well for me you never really were. But other people are starting to see it too, ever since Neverland really, but especially since the day where Henry and I left. You're a good person Regina. You sacrificed your happiness for me and Henry, and even though we got back here in the end I'll be thankful for that forever." Emma looked down at her glass, noticing it was empty and grabbed Regina's from the table to go and refill them both. By the time she returned, Regina still hadn't said anything.

Emma returned the tumbler to the coaster in front of Regina and sat back down in her spot. She turned to the other woman and immediately noticed the liquid glistening along with the roaring flames in her eyes.

"Are you okay Regina…" the blonde asked timidly.

The woman jumped at the unexpected voice, as if she had been in another world entirely. Her hand rose to her face to brush away a stray bead of water before it had a chance to trickle down her face. "Yes, I'm fine, I'm sorry," she replied finally, bringing herself back to the room. "I… thank you…" Regina started, but she didn't know how to continue. There were a million things that she wanted to say to Emma, but none of them could be voiced, because they revealed too many things which Regina wasn't ready to talk about yet. _Why are you being so nice to me _was one of them, _No one has said anything this nice to me since Daniel, _was another. Other thoughts going through her head considered telling Emma about how she felt the day they'd driven away in the bug, or what she'd seen in the vision and why she had resurfaced with Emma's name on her lips.

"I appreciate you saying so," she said sniffing delicately. "I don't feel like the Evil Queen anymore. I just… may I ask you something?" Her voice was soft but firm, her eyes boring into Emma's earnestly.

"Sure," Emma replied, shifting her legs minutely closer to Regina on the large sofa.

"You said earlier that you feel trapped here…" she started. If Emma hadn't known any better, she would have said that Regina looked shamed by whatever she was about to say.

"…I don't ask people for things very often Miss Swan-"

"Emma. Enough of the Miss Swan crap please Regina," the blonde interrupted mischievously.

"Fine. I don't ask people for things very often _Emma,_" she said, emphasising the name as she raised her eyebrows in the exact same way Emma saw Henry do everyday. "But I would like you to promise. Or…assure me, at least, that you will not be returning to New York with Henry. I cannot be separated from him again."

As much as Emma was enjoying the brunette having to ask her for help, the mask on Regina's face dampened the sense of achievement. It may have looked like she was asking indifferently, but in reality Emma knew that underneath that poised exterior was a woman about to break down. She liked to think she had got pretty good at reading people over the years. By learning how to read people and read how they're feeling Emma had learnt how to save herself from many nasty situations. If you knew how someone felt then you knew how to approach them. Regina was humiliated at even having to ask Emma this and Emma could see that hidden deeply away was a woman who was terrified beyond belief of losing her son again.

"You know what," Emma began, Regina's eyes trained on her apprehensively, "at first I was only planning on coming back here to make sure everyone was okay, and then we were going to go back to New York for good. But I can't do that Regina. This is his home. His home is with you _and _me. And there is no way that I would do that to you. I would never take him away from you again," her eyes tried to convince the brunette that she was telling the truth, "I promise you. We're not going anywhere."


	8. The Man She Could Have Loved

A/N:

Hey guys! It's that time again! Apologies in advance for the lack of SQ in this chapter. I mean there's some, of course, but not as much as I know I would like if I was reading…BUT this chapter contains some crucial things to the storyline so it's pretty necessary for moving things along. Again in this chapter I've been baring in mind the TV storyline while mixing things up a bit, my favourite thing to do! This previous chapter saw the passing of 5000 views which is pretty damn awesome and I'm super super grateful to all of you who read, review and favourite! So happy reading, enjoy.

Rosie xx

(I do not own and characters from OUAT. No copyright intended).

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><p>Since Regina and Emma's encounter with whoever cast the curse, there had been a town-wide search going on everyday. They knew it was someone who could break through the blood-magic, but other than that they still really didn't know who they were up against. As far as Regina had been told her whole life she was an only child, she didn't have any aunts or uncles or extended family to speak of, they were all dead, but then again, nothing that Cora ever said could be taken as truth. With the missing year, and this conundrum bouncing around in her brain the brunette couldn't pinpoint what she knew and what she didn't anymore.<p>

The mayor heard the clock quietly ticking away in the background as she worked at her desk in the study, for some reason constantly conscious of the speed at which time was progressing today. Last night had been…Interesting. Regina had opened herself up to Emma more than she had to anyone in a very long time. She had allowed Emma to get a small peek into her psyche. To allow someone to see her vulnerability, to understand the things that kept her up in fear at night and truly know what was going on inside her head was the most ultimately terrifying concept to the brunette. More terrifying than almost anything; the only thing which scared her more than opening herself up to someone emotionally was losing her one and only light in the world, Henry. That was more than she would ever be able to take. She had come so close so many times, but if she really did lose him, she would not be able to go on. This was one of the things that she couldn't admit to anyone. This and many, many more. There was a part of Regina which realised she had started something last night when she asked the blonde to promise that she and Henry wouldn't be separated again. She vowed that from now on she wouldn't discuss her feelings with Emma, the blonde didn't need to know any it only made her appear weak. Opening this door would help absolutely nothing.

As her boredom mounted, Regina decided to go for a walk and see if she found anything out of the ordinary. She could have been in the office working today; but she needed felt like she might get more work done at home. She had been wrong. Leaving her paperwork mid-sentence she gathered her things and put on some sturdy hiking boots. She thought it might be a good idea to canvas a few of the outer parts of Storybrooke, places that others wouldn't think to go; she had, after all, created this town.

She had been walking through the woods when she noticed a building in the clearing ahead. She had never seen it before, which immediately raised red flags. There was an entrance to something in the field by the house, which looked as if it had stairs leading underground, however on approaching it Regina realised that it was locked. She tried magic, but nothing worked; _she must be more powerful than I thought, _said Regina to herself.

There was a gravel path leading up to the house and the former Queen's heeled leather boots crunched on the stone beneath her feet. As she made her way closer to the house, she heard a rustling from the bushes ahead.

"Show yourself!" she yelled as a figure moved around the corner of the house.

She heard the thrum of a bow in front of her and raised her hand just in time to catch the arrow that had been shot directly at her. It had been years since she had been the target of this sort, yet her reactions were still as good that day as they had ever been.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were the Witch, I now realise I was mistaken," came the deep throaty voice from across the pathway.

The man walked towards her; he was good looking, tall, dressed in plain clothing that blended into the surroundings nicely. Strangely, she felt as if she had seen him before, but that wasn't altogether uncommon in a place this small. As their conversation continued she had an inexplicable feeling that this entire meeting had happened previously; like it had happened in the missing year.

"And you are…?" she asked, looking him up and down in a way she was prone to do when trying to intimidate someone. Her eyes narrowed as she took in his appearance. He was an attractive man but there was something about him that she didn't trust, his eyes had something hidden in them and his face would have appeared much more approachable had it not been constantly held in an unattractive grimace.

"Robin of Locksley, Robin Hood, at your service," he bowed slightly and extended his hand, which Regina promptly refused.

"Well, Robin Hood," she said with a vaguely disrespectful sneer, "come with me." She beckoned him behind her as they walked towards the house and entered slowly and quietly. Regina had her magic at the ready, bubbling at the surface of her skin and crackling around inside her veins in anticipation of attack. It appeared however, that the house was empty. Once Robin had cleared the house he returned to the small, plainly furnished dining room. Whoever this witch was, Regina could tell that they didn't have much of a proclivity for interior design. She wondered how a person related to her could ever live in a place like this as she ran her finger through a thick layer of dust on the table.

Robin walked towards the large wooden bureau that leant against the far wall of the room, rolling his sleeves up while his back was to Regina.

"Drink, Madame?" he asked, brandishing the bottle of whiskey in the brunette's direction.

"Yes, and I prefer Your Majesty, thank you very much," she said curtly. In fact, she didn't. But this man hadn't yet earnt the right to call her anything else.

"As you wish, Your Majesty," he replied whilst pouring two generous helpings into cut crystal glasses from the cabinet. He turned around, moving towards Regina who was leaning against the small table that sat in the middle of the room. He handed her one of the glasses, and as he did, she noticed the tattoo on his right forearm. She immediately looked up at Robin with confusion lining her features. This was he; the man who Tinkerbell had told her would be her soul mate. With everything else going on Regina didn't know how to process this, so she dropped her glass on the floor and walked swiftly out of the house, not even saying a word.

It was the tattoo from the tavern over 30 years ago, but what perplexed her even more was that she was sure, and she couldn't say why, that she had seen this tattoo again since that night.

* * *

><p>Tyres screeched as the black Mercedes Benz pulled away from the grass verge on which the mayor had parked it, mud flying up from the wheels as the car spend along the quiet country road back into town. Her brain was directing her hands, steering this way and that, but she didn't even have to think about where she was going. She headed home to get changed out of her dirty hiking gear and into something more appropriate. Within minute she was back behind the wheel of her car speeding towards the convent. There was only one person in Storybrooke who could help her with a predicament of this sort, Tinkerbell; she had been the one who had told her about this man, after all.<p>

The brunette slowed the car as has approached the tall concrete posts which marked the entrance to the convent's driveway. Gravel crackled under the wheels as Regina pulled the car into park and stepped out, marching purposefully to the door and locking the car nonchalantly behind her. She grasped the brass door knocker banged it against the door three times before stepping backwards. When the door opened in front of her the person on the other side was none other than Tinkerbell herself.

"Mayor Mills," Tinkerbell said, "what a lovely surprise. It has been a while," the woman continued with a smile on her face as she beckoned Regina in across the threshold. "Come in."

"Lovely isn't necessarily the term I would use," Regina answered, clearing her throat softly. Tinkerbell looked slightly taken aback by the Mayor's comment and spoke, effectively cutting Regina off.

"Are you here to see Mother Superior?" the blonde asked politely, "i'll go and fetch her."

"No dear," the brunette, grabbing the fairy's sleeve as she began to move away, "I came to speak to you."

"Oh, okay then, what was it you wanted to speak to me about?" she asked in her accented english. "It has been an awfully long time since you came to me for advice," she added jokily, but her face neutralised when she saw the look on the other woman's features.

"Where are the other fairies? May I speak freely?" Regina was worried that they would be eavesdropping. Fairies had a tendency to be nosy little blighters.

"They are all in the garden, Your Majesty," Tink answered, reverting to Regina's old world name as a sign of respect which went entirely unappreciated by the mayor.

"I am no longer a Queen," she snapped, "Regina will suffice."

"Very well, would you like to sit down and have some tea?"

"No, thank you," she said sincerely, "this will only take a minute."

"Ask away then your…Regina," Tink blushed at her mistake but the brunette was forgiving. So many people had it engrained into their minds that she was still the Evil Queen and that would never change, at least the woman corrected herself.

"I met a man today, who goes by the name of Robin Hood. Robin of Locksley I believe. He has the tattoo," Regina began and watched Tink's interest spike when she mentioned his name, and the marking. "He is not someone I have ever seen before, which means that he only came over with the curse. Do you know of him?" She watched Tink's face closely for signs but the woman seemed genuinely surprised.

Tinkerbell looked at her, shock painted on her face. "No, I haven't heard of him before, other than by reputation obviously."

However, what Regina didn't know was that in the time she had gone home, Robin had also paid Tinkerbell a visit. The two had been friends for years and years, and the fairy's allegiances would always lie with him, no matter what. She had told him about the fairy dust, and how one day a long time ago in another world magic had lead Regina to a man with a lion tattoo, Robin knew that the man could have been any of his men, but he liked to think that it was he and Tinkerbell entertained his idea. If she told Regina the truth, the real truth, the woman would undoubtedly reach a level of anger which the blonde didn't even want to think about experiencing. The information was irrelevant now anyway, or at least Tink told herself it was.

The fairy continued, "I have seen him around town and on patrols occasionally but we have never spoken. I'm sorry I can't be of more help," she said, as sweet as candy.

"Do you think it could be him?" Regina asked. "It is a distinctive tattoo after all, I am surely not mistaken about that."

"It could be," Tink answered, not wanting to speak too much on the subject lest she give herself away. "Maybe you should…pursue it." The blonde woman thought that encouraging Regina to give Robin a chance was a great thing to do. It would make her happy, give her a distraction. The two hadn't always been eye to eye but Tink liked to think that she had Regina's true interests at heart.

"Well, I don't know about that," Regina answered, more truthfully than intended. She really didn't. This man wasn't who she wanted, wasn't who she saw herself with.

"Think about it," the fairy added, reaching her hand out to brush the mayor's shoulder tenderly.

Regina looked at the clock above Tinkerbell's head in entrance hall, it was almost time to collect Henry and go home for the evening.

"Well," The brunette said turning on her heel towards the door, "thank you very much for all your help Tinkerbell, the information is appreciated. Good day."

"Goodbye Regina," Tink said politely.

There was something not quite right, Regina thought as she exited the convent, leaving a smiling Tinkerbell behind her to close the door, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She wished momentarily for Emma's lie-detection powers, they really would come in useful sometimes.

* * *

><p>Regina, Emma and Charming were driving slowly along the edge of the field neighbouring the Witch's house. When through the headlights Charming saw a large row of trees in front of him he pressed the breaks, put the car in park and killed the engine. When Regina had informed them of her discovery from this morning it was decided that they should return immediately; time was of the essence in this situation after all.<p>

Emma, who was sitting in the front seat, turned around and greeted Regina with an optimistic face.

"Let's go", she said as she turned around and unclasped the seatbelt around her midsection. They had discussed their plan on the journey, and it had been agreed that they didn't have a plan; they were just going to have to go for it. Regina did however say that if they encountered the Witch and she just poofed away again – because that was something which they could all foresee – Regina would try and follow her magical trail, since it appeared that she could use blood magic to trace her. It was something she hadn't thought of before, but on researching blood magic she found that there were other things which came with using it that went past being able to break their spells. The only people Regina would have ever used blood magic on were her mother and father, and Henry; she had had no need to use magic on her father or Henry and no courage to use it on her mother, so this was relatively new to her.

They exited the vehicle and soon they walked into the corner of the pasture, using torches to guide their way. Charming was the leader he opened the gate, putting his torch in his mouth for a minute to use both hands.

Once they were all safely through the gate they walked in a line across the large field, keeping pace with each other until they reached the outer fence. Emma ducked down first and rolled under the fence, which they could safely say was probably electrified.

Regina, almost disgusted that Emma would just _roll _on the ground, ducked gracefully under the wire and wisped herself back up into standing position. Charming, being significantly bigger than both women had to resort to crawling under on his hands and knees. Regina almost laughed but managed to hold it in. If it wasn't for the fact that they could have been heard she would probably have laughed a high throaty chuckle and probably been told off for it.

The trio approached the large shelter in the ground and crept further forward. Their feet squelched in the mud as they walked along the side of the house, keeping their heads just underneath the windows. Suddenly, Regina sent her hand behind her. It hit Emma's shoulder and stopped her from moving any further. There had been a noise around the other side of the house and there were movements in the shadows across reflected from the interior lighting. The Witch appeared from around the corner, and Regina was able to take in her face for the first time.

Behind her Emma heard her father unsheathe his sword and simultaneously raised her firearm to point at the threat in front of them. She watched Regina raise her arm slowly, and imagined that her face was becoming that terrifying mask that mostly consisted of _Who the hell do you think you are _and _don't piss me off. _ Emma had seen that face more than a few times, it was the face she saw the first night she met Regina.

The Witch in front of them stood stock-still. They were all poised for battle and watched her face intently. A small, sly, sneering smile slowly crept onto her face as her eyebrow lifted up in challenge.

"Catch me if you can", she said in a singsong tone as she disappeared in an effervescent cloud of emerald smoke.

Immediately, Regina's presence left Emma's side and she watched as her son's other mother ran towards the spot ten feet away from them.

"Be careful Regina!" Emma cried in panic as she watched the former Queen stand still, her hands outstretched in front of her as her purple smoke mingled with the remnants of green. It crackled loudly where it merged. When the crackling was over and the smoke had dispersed, Regina was gone.

* * *

><p>The brunette felt her feet firmly touch the ground as she landed in her as yet unknown location. Her own purple smoke was still surrounding her, twirling mesmerisingly in front of her eyes. Everything was moving in slow motion and the earth span inside her head. She felt the way she had the very first time she ever practiced this spell. Typically, moving from place to place was one fluid motion, she would simply picture where she wanted to go, and appear there. It felt like the magic was coursing through her veins like millions of tiny stars twinkling throughout her entire being. That was what magic felt like most of the time. But this time it was different. Using someone else's magic certainly had less than desirable effects. Instead of stars, her body was filled with countless minuscule razorblades. Briefly, the fleeting thought that the woman could have attempted to protect her magic against Regina crossed her mind, after all she didn't know how powerful a sorcerer she was facing.<p>

All in a second Regina's mind came back to her as if her magic had finally won the fight against its counterpart over her body. The smoke cleared and permitted her to see the Sorceress in front of her, as well as finally being revealing their whereabouts.

It was cold, was the first thing the brunette noticed. It was then that she quickly absorbed the sight in front of her. The huge stone walls which should have been confining them now; but Regina knew that if her enemy had managed to get in here, she would be able to get out just as easily. They were in her vault. _Of course we are, _thought the former Queen sarcastically, _because you want to taunt me and I have no way of keeping you out. _

She met eyes with the Witch in front of her. She had another one of those "you can't beat me" looks on her face, and Regina would have been disconcerted by the fact that her face exactly mirrored that of Regina's mother when threatened, if it hadn't made her so angry. No, the Mayor hadn't verbally threatened her yet but for people like them, who had experienced true power and evil, someone using your magic to chase you is most definitely construed as an intimidation tactic.

Regina's eyes bored into the defiant, bright green eyes in front of her with her chocolate pools tinged purple with rage. Her loathing for everything this woman was and was trying to do prompted her to boil over the surface.

Storming furiously towards the woman across from her who was darkly dress in a black dress and long velvet cape, Regina exploded.

"You!" She said, pointing her finger more than accusingly.

"You are pathetic," she spat maliciously, "you have taunted and teased me, disappearing away at the first second I get a glimpse of you." Before she continued, Regina raised her hand and grasped the woman's chin with brute force, tilting her head towards her. Her victim slowly and deliberately raised her hand, no doubt summoning her magic to the surface in response.

"But you're afraid. After all this…cursing us all and playing with me, that you might not be able to defeat us. You're scared that the Evil Queen might be stronger than you after all, and you know what?" Regina asked cruelly, her eyes opening scarily wide as she glared into the face in front of her with hatred as blistering and treacherous as a thousand burning suns.

"I am."

"I am better than you, and I am stronger than you and I am altogether more formidable than you _and_," she emphasised, letting go of the Sorceress' face, "I have a whole lineup of people behind me. I will break you. Stop the feigned cockiness and fight me, because I assure you." She paused, "you will not win."

She didn't even realise what had come out of her mouth until her lips had stopped moving. _I told her to fight me, _Regina berated herself silently, _I sound like Emma. Oh god. _

As the brunette's brain was freaking out, she noticed the tugs of a smile appear on her counterpart's face. The corners of her mouth titled up as her nose scrunched just minutely and she breathed in deeply. Regina dropped her outstretched hand from the woman's jawbone and raised her hand up, her fingers curling gracefully as her magic was roused to her defence.

The showdown continued, both women staring at each other with fire in their eyes.

The auburn woman's mouth opened, her cunning smile broadening as she expelled the sentence that knocked Regina for six.

"See you later…" she said, emerald vapour beginning to rise from the ground around her, her eyes glinting with malice.

"…Sis."


	9. Not An Only Child After All

A/N:

Hey guys!

I know I said I'd keep a regular updating schedule but that hasn't really worked out has it? I'm going to try and update every Sunday from now on but I wouldn't hold me to that, just in case. This chapter might be a tad uninteresting but the next chapter will carry on where this left off, where our two ladies have a very interesting night in together. Reviews are always appreciated whether it be criticisms or otherwise! Thanks as always for the views, follows and favourites. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and have a great week ahead.

Happy reading,

Rosie xx

(I do not own Once or any of its characters, no copyright intended.)

* * *

><p>The sound of the granite sliding behind her told Regina that the vault had been sealed. She turned around, producing another incantation with barely a move of her full lips. This one was meant to protect the entrance to her "safe" place by stopping certain spells from being used to try and force it open, not including blood magic. This time, Regina hadn't used a single ounce of blood magic, hoping that this would deter her…sister. Regina knew though that if this woman shared even half her genes, she would find a way through if it killed her.<p>

With one final glancing look around the brunette sealed the doors to the Mausoleum and conjured one last spell - out of despair more than anything else - to try and protect her privacy and her family as well as herself. Everything that she was and everything she had been was enclosed in that vault and the thought of someone having free-reign of it made her sick to her stomach. She had, of course, removed the things she thought her sister would be especially intent on procuring; some of her older, darker spell books and their mother's heart to name a few. If she could have taken everything she would have but there were few places in the town safe from that woman and only the most important things could be hidden away.

Her walk back to the mansion was a long one. Regina called Emma to let her know that they would meet back at home. She took longer than intended, however, having taken the long route back to clear her mind.

_A sister. I have a sister. Oh, how different my life might have been if I'd found that out 40 years ago and not today. _

Regina's thoughts flew about her mind like pinballs dinging about in one of those damn arcade machines; which of course she had never even dreamt of letting Henry near due to their unsanitary condition and presence inside the town's watering hole. No doubt he had experienced them in his life with Emma.

Maybe that was the solution, the Mayor thought as she wandered aimlessly around the own she knew like the back of her hand.

_Maybe Henry really would be better off without me. I always seem to bring more pain into his life. This is my fault. His life would be better without me. _

Regina briefly thought of making a run for it. Getting in the Mercedes and never looking back, but then she remembered the town lines that were still in tact, which stopped her once and for all from leaving the hellhole she was currently residing in. She contemplated going to live in the woods away from the responsibilities of creating a town, which to be honest, she really didn't want to be in anymore. However, in her swirling mess of thoughts and feelings Regina had subconsciously returned to the mansion. Through the open bay windows in front of her she saw a beautiful sight. Emma, sitting on the couch with their son, tickling him to death for god knows what reason.

The first rational thought in an hour popped into Regina's head. _I might bring them pain and suffering when I'm here. But would their lives really be any better without me? _The brunette asked herself. Part of her messed up, delusional, damaged mind wanted to say yes. The anxious part of her brain told her that they would be better off without her, that she should leave them to their happiness, that she just ruined everything. But then the blonde, who her eyes had been locked on for several minutes now, glanced up and spied her through the window. The look of shock on Emma's face to see Regina just standing on her own front lawn, staring, was quickly surpassed by an even larger smile than she had worn on her face previously.

_Of course they wouldn't. _

Seeing the mischievous pair glance out of the window at her again was all it took to convince her neurotic side to give it a rest for just one second. Sometimes Regina's thoughts got the better of her momentarily; sometimes they were debilitating and spoke such atrocities to her that she couldn't think about anything else for days. But this wasn't one of those times. She moved her legs subconsciously, smiling in Henry and Emma's direction before heading towards the front door to let herself in.

By the time she reached the huge silvery archway, wood glinting in the porch light, her son's mother was already awaiting with the door open.

"What happened?" Emma asked immediately, looking concerned. "Where did you go? Where did she take you?"

"Please allow me to step through my own front door before you start interrogating me Miss Swan, it is rather poor manners," came the icy tone from the brunette.

"Sor-", Emma began. But before she could finish even one word Regina stunned her with another admission.

"No," she interrupted, "I'm sorry," looking into Emma's eyes so briefly it didn't even seem to happen at all. "Is your father still here?"

"Yeah, he's in the living room with Henry, why?" Emma asked, even more worried now. Regina didn't avoid subjects. It wasn't her thing.

The brunette looked at Emma seriously whilst closing the door softly behind her. "I need to speak with both of you about what happened. There has been an…" Regina pondered her next words, "unforeseen complication…lets just say."

The pair walked towards the living room where Henry and his Grandfather were sitting on the couch absorbed in some bizarre looking Sci-Fi film. Both David and Henry turned around as soon as his mothers walked into the room.

"Mom!" he expelled loudly, not moving from his spot, "you're back! We were worried about you." He said, making eye contact with his blonde mother.

"What happened Regina?" Charming asked with genuine anxiety, probably for his kingdom and his wife over her, but it was still a welcomed change.

"I am indeed," Regina replied lovingly to Henry, "and you will find out soon enough" she continued, giving a quick glance to David at the same time. She stood still with her legs crossed politely. Emma was leaning against the back of the plush sofa running her hands through her son's hair. If anyone had seen the way Regina looked at the pair of them in that moment, well, lets just say, she was glad no one had. She quickly averted her eyes, walking towards her son instead, and continued, "Anyhow. I think it is your bedtime young man. I need to speak to your mother and David."

Their rascally son looked at both of them with his best puppy dog eyes.

"But Moooommm, I'm old enough to be included in these things now, you said so yourself!" He insisted, looking at his blonde mother for back up. Emma looked at Regina and raised her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders in Henry's defence.

"I know what I said," she replied sternly, "but there is something I need to discuss with the adults first. I promise," she said, making eye contact with him and crouching down to his level in front of the couch, "as soon as I know what is happening, you will. Okay?"

The boy affirmed his mother's request and grabbed his book as he lifted himself from his usual spot in the corner.

"Night Mom," he said as he was pulled into a quick embrace by his brunette mother. "Night Grandpa."

"Night Henry," replied David, smiling, "I'll see you for sword training tomorrow. I'll pick you up at 7."

The young teenager moved himself around the side of the couch and towards the huge double doors leading to the atrium. As he flitted past her Emma ruffled his hair once more. "Night Ma!" he said finally, looking back at her as her left the room.

"Goodnight Henry", "Goodnight Kid," came his mothers' reply in unison. They made brief, fleeting eye contact before they settled down to business.

Regina took a seat in her favourite armchair whilst the Saviour took Henry's place next to her father. The brunette woman was on edge; legs crossed politely, her hands folded neatly in her lap.

"So fill us in," Emma said, awaiting Regina's instigation.

"Well," Regina began, not really knowing how to continue, "we transported to my vault."

"Your vault?!" Emma asked, shocked, "but I thought no one but you could teleport – or whatever it is you do – into there?"

Regina looked exasperated; even more than usual, Emma noticed. "Miss Swan, if you would allow me to finish?" She said, raising her eyebrows and waiting for her son's mother's consent.

Emma merely looked at her apprehensively, which was enough sign for the brunette that she wouldn't be interrupted any further.

"We transported to my vault. I realise now that since the blood magic on my office was broken, the magic concealing the crypt can be broken just as easily. I've now taken further measures to lock it so she shouldn't be able to access it again. However, our curser has a more personal vendetta that we all previously thought…"

At this an hesitant look washed over Emma's features, and her father looked more like a ghost of his former self than anything else. On reflection, Regina thought, she shouldn't have used the word 'personal', because it wasn't personal to them. This crusade was against her, not anyone else.

"Don't look so alarmed, Charmings," Regina said, an expression which Emma didn't take too kindly to. "This feud doesn't concern your family. It concerns me. The woman who cursed us is my sister. And no, before you ask, I don't have any other information about her. That is it, she poofed away before I could interrogate her and I didn't think it wise to use her magic trail twice in one day when I am so relatively unfamiliar with that type of magic." The Mayor paused.

"Okay…" Emma said nervously, her worry tied between Regina getting mad at her and the severity of the situation. Mills women were tough, they were cold and ruthless and notoriously, evil. Regina was different now, but that didn't mean that she hadn't been all of those things at one time. "So what does this mean? For you, for us, for Henry?" she asked, her body on edge.

Before Regina could reply to Emma's question David's low voice came from the opposite end of the couch.

"We need to know how we are_ all_ going to fight this," he looked up at Regina and gained her eye contact. "You are not alone in this fight Regina, we will do all we can to help. I promise. If we were still in the Enchanted forest I would tell you that you have my army," he nodded, smiling at Regina in a way she had never really experienced from the Charmings, other than Emma of course. She had never really warranted it in her parent's minds though.

Regina's rosy lips curved upwards into a small smile, as she gracefully readjusted her legs into a more comfortable position.

"Thank you, David," she replied.

Emma could see the well-practiced mask stretch back out across Regina's complexion. She had started to notice it happen in Neverland, and more importantly she started to be able to read the brunette's emotions through the icy walls she was always building between herself and others. Emma was good at reading body language, feeling people's emotions - her life had required it - but with Regina it was different. She didn't even need to look at her son's mother to know what her face would look like at any given time, to know what she would be feeling. The blonde had wondered on more than one occasion whether magic was something to do with it. If they were linked after the shared magic they used to save their son from Peter Pan's entrapment. It sounded to Emma like a likely thing to happen, so she usually just went with it. It didn't occur to her that there could be some other connection between her and the woman she so loved, usually, to loathe.

"I am very grateful," Regina continued, "for the sentiment. And for the help. I will need every assistance in catching this woman, and making sure she doesn't do harm to this town." It was difficult for her to say, difficult for her to feel. The Charmings were…she wouldn't say friends, but there was definitely was a magnitude less animosity between them than there used to be. To Regina's mind they were infuriating, petty and downright annoying on frequent instances, but they were tolerable. Even though they now stood in higher stead than they had even only a few months ago, she really didn't enjoy admitting thanks to anyone. She supposed that it was due to her mother's influence; being told that she should never thank anyone for anything because it made her look weak and helpless. It was hard for her to say, but she had said it anyway.

The trio sat discussing their options for the best part of an hour after that. Regina told them about how she had informed her sister, rather unceremoniously, to fight her. Emma laughed entirely too loudly and gained a scathing look from Regina which she knew meant that she should behave herself. They anticipated, to be safe, that the woman would acknowledge Regina's challenge and concluded that they would prepare the town and townsfolk accordingly; doubling up patrols and getting everyone to pitch in, not just them, the dwarves, Red and Granny, even the fairies; everyone needed to help.

Regina knew that that the woman would fight, because she was appearing to be more and more like their mother every time they encountered one another. Even the Witch's presence gave the former Queen strange nostalgic feelings of Cora's power.

Finally, Emma and Regina showed David out of the door. He informed them that he didn't expect them to be up when he picked Henry up in the morning; focusing particularly on Emma for that comment. They waved him off quietly before returning into the house.

* * *

><p>Regina abandoned the armchair and settled on the couch where Emma had been sitting previously. She appreciated the warmth that still lingered from the blonde's form, but immediately her brain caught up with her body and she berated herself for even considering thinking about such a thing. Elegantly she slipped off her heeled boots and pulled her feet up beneath her in the comfortable position she always found relaxing.<p>

The blonde returned to the room and took the vacated spot on the sofa, turning once she was sat to face Regina. It was awkward. Neither knew what to say to the other. Emma didn't know what the Mayor thought about this whole sister thing and she didn't want to make any assumptions. She had gone through exactly she same thing with her parents. Of course she was happy she had found them in the end, but there was a never-ending void within her that was filled with sadness for all the years she had lost with them, everything that she had to endure throughout her time in foster care and in more ways than one she resented she them for it. In the past she had thought that if it wasn't for Henry, she might have been better off never finding them but she didn't feel like that anymore, of course. They were good people and she did love them, even if it wasn't in the conventional way a person loved their parents. She loved them more as friends, but that was fine with her, she supposed.

Regina's mind was a swirling vortex of thoughts; having a sister was something she had never even considered. She didn't want to think about the differences it might have made in her life but she couldn't help it. What she was more focused on however was the fact that she was going have to defeat - and almost definitely kill - another one of her kin.

Emma interrupted Regina's thought process with a question, and the brunette was more than grateful for the distraction from the mess that was jumbling her brain into mush.

"You must be starving," the blonde asked, concerned. It was just filler to the silence, but the older woman was appreciative and she had indeed forgotten that food was a necessary part of one's day-to-day existence.

"I am. I would also like a drink," Regina stated, moving to get up off of the sofa and retrieve what she was craving.

Emma looked up at her skeptically, the woman had barely eaten all day, and she had used a considerable amount of magic. She must have been exhausted, and Emma thought that drinking was the last thing she should to be doing right now.

"Maybe we should eat first Regina?" she said sheepishly, always wary of telling her son's other mother what to do, usually doing such a thing came with a death wish.

"You are welcome to dear, but first I would like a very cool, very large glass of cider."

Disbelievingly, the blonde looked up at the woman and smiled. She was really something.

"Well okay then," Emma replied, "I'm going to order pizza for us because if we're drinking we're gonna need pizza. " She removed her phone from her pocket and began looking for the number while Regina just watched her incredulously.

"And what made you think you were invited to drink with me?" she asked sarcastically, her mean sense of humour coming out to play as she toyed with the Saviour.

That gained Emma's attention.

"Well one, because I'm buying pizza and two, because who are you gonna bitch at when you're drunk if I'm not here?" she asked playfully, something glinting in her eye.

"You have a valid argument. You're lucky I'm willing to eat pizza at all though," Regina replied with finality, just the hint of a smirk on her face.

"Too right. Get us some booze and I'll ring for pizza."

"Miss Swan, I do hope you are actually capable of speaking in a grammatically correct and non-common manner or we will be having a problem," Regina joked as she walked towards out of the room. Emma knew she was joking, it was just odd to experience the Mayor's mischievous side sometimes, especially when comments like that used to be aimed at her with malice.

"Yes, Regina!" Emma shouted mockingly, but not loud enough to wake Henry, as the brunette entered the kitchen.

She reappeared mere minutes later with two glasses of her famous apple cider, and another small cask of it, along with it a bottle of tequila and two glasses, lime, and salt. Everything was situated on a tray, which was being held in mid air by Regina. She walked at a glacial pace behind the levitating object.

"Damnnnn," Emma said out of jealously. "I need to learn how to do that, seriously. It would make my life at least 700 times easier."

"Its not as easy as you think dear, It takes a lot of work to acquire magic properly. I learnt that the hard way," she paused, apparently gathering her thoughts.

The tray settled ever-so-gently onto the coffee table. Regina walked around the couch and lowered herself onto it. She leaned forward and purposefully seized her glass of cider, as did Emma. They got comfortable before the brunette continued what she was going to say. Emma waited.

"It's hard. But I think you may need to start learning properly now. What you've done so far is only tiny in comparison to what your power is capable of doing. To protect yourself, as well as everyone else, I think it would be beneficial to start lessons properly." Regina looked at Emma in earnest, taking a large sip of her drink. "I'm willing to teach you. To help you control it. Your parents will want you to learn from Blue, bu..."

"…No. I want to learn from you." Emma interrupted, "I don't want to learn fairy magic," she laughed, "I mean, if you're sure. You really don't have to."

"Don't be preposterous. I offered… I think I want to" Regina replied, the last phrase came out more nervously than she intended.

"You think?" Emma chuckled at the woman in front of her.

"Well…" Regina considered what she was about to say, how much to reveal. None of her emotions were solidified, they were fluid, and even she didn't understand them, so there was no way in hell she could possibly explain them to another person. They tangled inside her heart like wires crossing, intertwined, so many things she didn't even know yet. She chose her next words carefully.

"I consider us…friends now, Miss Swan."

Emma butted in. She knew she shouldn't have but she couldn't resist, and also she really fucking _hated _it when Regina called her 'Miss Swan'.

"Regina seriously, call me Emma, please," she said quickly, sipping from her already half empty cup to stop herself from saying anything else.

Regina gave her an apologetic look. They both knew it was a defence against the progression of anything deeper than mere acquaintance, especially considering what she was about to admit.

"I consider us friends now, Emma," she corrected, her face still yet warm as her russet eyes met the blonde's clover green ones. "This is the type of favour, I'm lead to believe, that friends do for each other. So I will teach you. There is one rule."

"What?" Emma said, torn between her excitement to learn magic and her fear of failing.

"You must listen to me. And you must do exactly as I say. I seem to remember you've struggled with the former especially on several occasions." Emma knew Regina was joking, but she was worried that she might disappoint her and not be as great as everyone thought she was going to be. Being the Saviour was the worst sometimes. Emma worked well under pressure, in stressful situations she always had a clear head and knew what to do, but not with pressure from people; and the pressure of being a hero was overwhelming.

"You have a deal. I will listen to you and I will do exactly as you say," she paused, and added audaciously, "to the best of my ability."

"Oh I'm sure you have enough ability," Regina sassed back with a raised eyebrow, "Child of true love."


	10. A Drunken Night In

A/N:

Hey guys, it's that time again! This chapter has been one of my absolute favourites to write so far and it continues directly on from last chapter. Drunk!Regina is great and there's a little bit of emotion in there too which was so much fun to write. I hope you enjoy it. If anyone has any comments on what they'd like to happen or where they would like this to go I'm open to any suggestions. I have about 3 more chapters left which are written before I have to start coming up with ideas again! I have a plan but any suggestions (or criticisms, or general love) are always welcome.

Happy reading,

Rosie xx

(I do not own Once or any of its characters no copyright intended, you know the drill).

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><p>Emma was about to come up with a sarcastic response to Regina's comment about her being the child of true love when the doorbell sounded from outside in the atrium, signalling that their pizza had arrived. Both women had drained their glass, so the brunette took it upon herself to refill their drinks whilst Emma went to the door.<p>

Regina heard the small exchange; listening to Emma pay the delivery boy politely and quietly shut the door. She reappeared from the kitchen thirty seconds later with plates balanced on top of the two pizza boxes.

"Henry is going to kill us when he finds out we had pizza you know?" Emma said as she walked towards the couch, putting the pizza boxes next to the tray of drinks and setting their plates out in front of them.

"He is…" Regina suddenly realised. "We'll have to save him some," she reasoned, turning to look at the other woman as her reply was heard. Emma was sitting there, a huge slice of pizza being shovelled into her mouth as if she hadn't eaten in weeks.

"I can't promise anything," Emma said in all seriousness, her words muffled by the humongous bite of cheesy goodness in her mouth.

"Sometimes I wonder if you really are a Charming," Regina said. Although Emma knew this was another one of the mayor's japes shouldn't couldn't help but allow the words to strike sadness in her. She had never had a family to belong to so the idea of being separated from them - as much as they annoyed her 95% of the time - made the blonde upset. She had been sent away from so many places in her life; places she thought would be her forever home. Still to this day a tiny part of her was terrified that this apparent happiness she had found would be ripped away from her life she had been so used to when she was a child.

"Hey…" Emma said feigning offence to cover up her true feelings, "Its just…when it comes to pizza I cant stop myself, Henry knows that."

Regina looked at the blonde, for a second pausing to consider the absurdity of this situation.

"I suppose he would do the same. Luckily, he does have one mother who isn't a fast-food junkie. He can have some of mine," the brunette replied, proceeding to daintily take bite out of her slice, holding the plate under her mouth to catch any crumbs. Emma hadn't thought to get them any cutlery.

"Thanks. I'm sorry but I'm just like Joey," Emma smiled, "I don't share food."

"I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about," Regina replied, puzzled, "Joey?"

"You know? Friends?" The blonde asked, bewildered that her brunette counterpart didn't know what Friends was. " You know, Joey doesn't share food!" She mocked his accent and tone, and if Regina had known what it was she would have realised it was a pretty decent impression.

"I'm afraid I do not know what you are talking about. I assume its something from one of those incessantly annoying television shows you seem to so love?"

"Its not one of those "incessantly annoying" shows I watch," Emma replied, using her fingers to make quotation marks in the air, "Its hilarious, and brilliant and one of the greatest shows in the history of television. And…" She said, slowly inching her hand forward to the remote which sat in-between them on the couch. Before the former Queen realised what she was doing, the blonde grabbed the device and pulled it towards herself.

"…We're watching it right now" Emma finished.

"No," the brunette groaned uncharacteristically, "Emma, really? Must we?"

"Yes," Emma laughed, a smile broadening across her entire face at the other woman's words. She mocked, "We must."

Regina simply gave Emma her most conservative of smiles, paired with a raise of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows, and replied "fine." Emma knew that her son's mother was just being difficult. It didn't even annoy her anymore, just amused her.

They settled into a comfortable silence as the blonde retrieved the very first episode of Friends from Regina's on demand service. The younger woman had insisted that they start at the very beginning, considering her elder had never watched it before. She wanted Regina to get the "full experience", as she explained. The episode started and both women continued to eat their pizza; Emma from the box and Regina from her plate. Sporadically, they also continued to drink, the blonde filling them up this time when they depleted, and The Mayor the time after that.

To the Saviour's absolute astonishment the former Queen even laughed out loud on one occasion, but then afterwards insisted that it had never happened. She said that the show was at most tolerable, but Emma knew she was enjoying it; she just didn't want to admit that she was wrong. The blonde spent most of the time sneakily watching Regina's actions out of the corner of her eye rather than watching the actual television. The woman's face was kind of adorable when it was screwed up in concentration and down right beautiful when her eyes danced with laughter every so often. As the she thought back on the evening so far, Emma fully fathomed that this night with Regina was unlike anything they had ever done before. They were joking with each other, picking on one another; but not in their usual way. Only one or two comments aside, their entire conversation this evening had come from a place of lightheartedness, of teasing, rather than their usual spiteful intentions.

It was as if Emma was watching their relationship change in front of her eyes. She had known that they were becoming closer, more amiable, but she hadn't yet realised to what extend that had actually happened. Obviously, Emma herself had some unresolved feelings towards the Queen. In ways she had never been able to fully comprehend she felt drawn to the other woman. But she never imagined that the woman actually liked spending time with her too.

_At least I think she's enjoying herself, _Emma pondered, analysing. _Either that or she's a way better actress than I thought_.

Towards the end of their third episode, when the blonde had devoured her entire pizza and Regina had eaten her fill, when the carafe of cider was empty and they were relaxing back on the couch, Emma decided it was time for shots. It was already fairly late, but it was a Saturday tomorrow and Henry was spending the day learning sword fighting with his grandfather so really the two women could drink as much as they so wished.

"Come on," Emma turned to face Regina, something suspicious coating her features. "It's time for shots."

"If you insist. I am partial to a drop of Tequila though. I had never experienced liquor of its sort until I came to this land."

"You don't have Tequila in the Enchanted Forest?!" Emma asked with mock disgrace.

"No, I believe the plant from which it is made doesn't grow on our soil. I have always been a fan of Whiskey and Brandy, but there is nothing quite the same which we were capable of producing."

"That sucks," the blonde reasoned, "I'm totally never going to live in the Enchanted forest now."

The two dark red shot glasses were filled with the yellow liquid and a lime placed across the top of each by Emma. The mayor leant forward, holding her hand out whilst using a dab of the liquor on her hand to wet it. Emma laughed at her as she held out her hand for salt. Regina watched as the other woman licked her hand generously and repeat the process.

Simultaneously they picked up the glasses and downed the ochre liquid in one gulp. Regina immediately thrust the lime into her mouth. The blonde watched the former Queen's face contort just slightly at the taste of the liquid while she let the taste overflow through her own mouth and feel the heat spread down her gullet before she teased the lime wedge between her teeth gently.

Regina looked up at Emma expectantly, "another?"

"Yuuuup," the Saviour replied, wondering what thoughts it was that were causing Regina to begin heavily drinking. She wanted to ask what the other woman was feeling but she knew better.

Emma prepared the next shots, and the ones after that. They did 5 shots in the space of two minutes or so and both women were beginning to feel the effects of the liquor, especially when it had been combined with a generous amount of cider beforehand.

They both leant back on the sofa for a few minutes. Regina's head was resting against the back cushion lightly. If Emma didn't know any better she would have said that the Mayor was a lightweight…Not that anyone could really be considered a lightweight after holding a few pints of cider and five Tequila shots.. She, on the other hand, was staring into space, getting her bearings after the last shot.

Slowly, the other woman's movement distracted Emma's attention. Regina unhurriedly raised her head, looking up at the blonde from under hooded eyelids.

"I think I'm drunk," she announced.

"Ha!" Emma laughed, "I think you are. I think in one more shot I will be too."

"Well then you should do another, naturally," Regina gestured with a wave of her hand as she replied, gazing at Emma intently through hooded eyelids.

The younger woman obeyed Regina's wish and poured herself another shot, downing it just as swiftly as all the ones before that. This one went to her head. Over the next few minutes she felt herself become slowly more intoxicated. They sat in silence, staring at the television. The world was pulsating slightly around Emma was and she turned her head to glance at the brunette it was like everything moved in slow-motion, like the way the road moved when sat in a speeding car.

It was only when Emma went to the bathroom and returned that she noticed how truly drunk she was. She couldn't walk in a straight line, and when Regina attempted to follow suit she stumbled out of the room even more loudly than Emma had done. On reflection, it was actually really irresponsible for them to get this hammered when they could be attacked by a Wicked Witch at any moment but that thought drifted out of Emma's head as quickly as it arrived.

The blonde was still staring at the screen in front of her when she felt Regina land haphazardly back onto the sofa. The woman had her legs stretched out, so they were only a few inches away from Emma's and she leant comfortably against the arm of the couch.

Everything within Emma's head moved at half speed, her thought processes slowing down considerably, her inhibitions lowering. She felt an overwhelming urge to touch Regina in some way. All she wanted was a shred of physical contact, and she knew it was just the drink talking but was it, really?

_Drunk thoughts are sober thoughts, _Emma reasoned. _No, that wasn't right. Sober thoughts are drunk words? No. Whatever. _All Emma knew was that any shred of feeling she had for Regina when she was sober was multiplied by a thousand when she had liquor inside her.

The room span as she moved her eye line from the scene with the Magic Eye illusion book where everyone is making fun of Ross, to Regina.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked, concerned that she had talked the other woman into drinking a little more than she was actually capable of handling.

"Yes," Regina replied, forcing herself to look up at Emma. "I'm fine. Just…" she searched for the right word. Her eyes fell closed the open again and a strand of her usually perfectly pruned hair fell in front of her eyes. "Drunk. I'm definitely drunk. Very drunk."

"Can't hold your liquor Madame Mayor?" Emma provoked, the slyest smile that she could manage, which wasn't anything special, came to her thin lips. Her eyes were glinting altogether too brightly for her face to look anywhere close to mean.

"I am perfectly capable of holding my liquor, _Miss Swan," _She slurred, "but I think you'll find Tequila has rather adverse affects on my disposition."

Emma laughed then, and Regina didn't really see what was funny.

"Why are you laughing at me? You are drunk too, are you not?" she slurred. Emma continued to laugh at her and Regina's face broke into a child-like frown.

"Stop laughing at me. I demand it."

"Sorry it's just," she laughed again, "it clearly doesn't have that much of a negative effect on you. You still speak like the Queen of England even when you're fucked!" Emma continued laughing, her hands slapping down either side of her.

"And apparently you become even more profane that you were originally. Who knew," she replied sarcastically through her inebriation. "A lady must remain a lady even when she is hammered my dear."

Being as drunk as she was, the words that came out of Emma's mouth next didn't even make it to her brain for approval before she expelled them.

"You're pretty great you know Regina," she said drunkenly, looking the other woman up and down. Once her brain caught up with her mouth, she realised that actually she was too drunk to care what she was saying, so she let herself continue regardless. "Like…" she pondered, "You're a _great_ mom…"

Regina looked at her incredulously, managing it even in her drunken state.

"No but…really…" Emma continued, "you're so great for Henry, you're way better for him than I ever could have been, and you're like, really good at magic," she said, emphasising the word really a little too much. "Oh and, you're really really good at cooking. Like…the best. Your lasagne…Oh my god. I could eat at least four trays of it right now."

Regina didn't know what to say and the blonde knew that. Even with her inhibitions lowered it was impossible for Regina to accept compliments, especially ones which involved the words 'you're pretty great'. It was something she had never been given the luxury of receiving before. She stared at Emma, really taking in her face for the first time in a while.

During Emma's laughing fit her hand and come to rest ever-so-slightly against the brunette's leg. Subconsciously, she had begun to draw tiny, light circles with her thumb against the other woman's stocking-covered calf. It was all Regina could concentrate on; all that she could feel. It was as if her Tequila filled brain wouldn't allow her to focus on anything else other than the minuscule movements of her son's other mother's hand.

"I don't know what to say," Regina voiced quietly, nervously, still focusing on Emma's fingers playing along her leg.

Emma laughed again but her face suddenly turned serious as she looked the brunette directly in the eyes, "You don't have to say anything. Really." The blonde closed her eyes, breathed out slowly and ran her fingers through her hair before she continued. "I just…didn't know whether anyone had told you that and I thought you should know because its the truth."

The show on the tv in front of them now long forgotten Emma pulled her knees up onto the couch and turned so she was facing Regina head on. Silence pervaded the air as they stared at each other, both contemplating the direction this conversation could go in. Their standoffs had always been aggressive, eyes fuelled with fire and rage but this time there was a softness to both their gazes that neither woman really knew how to process with the amount of Tequila hazing their mind. Emma's movements continued as she stared into the swirling pools of emotion that were Regina pupils.

Regina contemplated telling Emma things, things which she had been thinking for what she remembered to be a long time. She didn't know what had happened in the last year but she did know how she had felt before that, how she had felt when she woke up from her vision after Pan's curse, realising that she and the woman in front of her were more inextricably connected that she had ever thought possible. But this wasn't the time, Regina decided. She was too drunk to have this conversation and she wanted to have it at a time when she could be sure that both she and Emma would remember it. The blonde's words struck a chord within her again as she looked into green eyes. Emma was right, not one single person had ever told her she was worth anything, or had ever told her that she was great. But the woman in front of her had said it with such ease, such absolute truth that she couldn't help but believe it. Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was the fact that deep down somewhere under the drunken mess that was her insides right now Regina knew that even if it wasn't true Emma really believed it to be so, otherwise she wouldn't have said it.

"I can't…" Regina started. The Saviour looked at her expectantly but said nothing.

"I cannot believe what you say. I am in fact the complete opposite of great. I am an adequate mother at most, and a terrible human being." She looked down at Emma's hand on her leg and faltered. She stretched her hand out slowly, running her fingertips across the soft material of her stockings before they reached the warm and somehow softer skin of the blonde's hand. The other woman moved her fingers from tracing patterns on Regina's calf to running her thumb smoothly up and down the hand that was now wrapped in her's.

"But you are the first person that has ever told me I am worth more than what I have become. Sometimes I think you actually appreciate me for me." Regina had no idea where she was going with this and right now all she was doing was making a fool of herself. _Showing your emotions is weakness_, a voice in her head told her. _She doesn't care. Stop trying. Be quiet before you embarrass yourself. _She closed her eyes and didn't open them again until she heard a steady, melodic voice enter her ears and change everything.

"You may think you are worthless Regina, but you are the most incredible, powerful and wonderfully intriguing woman I have ever met. I appreciate all that you are and don't you ever forget it, promise?"

She looked up at Emma then and something about the look in the other woman's eye filled her heart with something she hadn't felt in years. There was so much honesty and purity in those emerald wonders that for a millisecond the former Queen let her emotions take over her entire soul.

Before she comprehended exactly what she was doing, Regina launched herself across the length of the sofa and unabashedly attached her lips to Emma's thin pale ones, all without detaching their hands which were now gripped together with a force she didn't know she was capable of. She felt a twitch underneath her lips, and within a few seconds the woman underneath her was responding to the kiss, melting into her in a way that made Regina think she actually wanted the same thing.

Something exploded inside the brunette as she continued to slide her lips and tongue drunkenly over Emma's, something that she hadn't ever thought she would feel again. She hung on for dear life; and Emma held back. They clutched onto each other in their drunkenness like nothing else mattered.

Emma took control, parting Regina's lips with her tongue. She could feel every inch of her body, her hands coming up, one resting around Regina's waist and the other coming to grip her neck with fervour. She couldn't even grasp the fact that she was actually kissing Regina Mills at that moment. However, she didn't have a chance to ponder the kiss any longer because as quickly as it had begun, it was over.

The blonde looked into Regina's eyes as she pulled away, not knowing what to say or do, what the woman wanted her to say or do. She didn't have a chance to say anything because the brunette swiftly removed herself from the couch and stepped towards the door.

"Goodnight Emma," she said as she turned away and stumbled out of sight.

Emma didn't reply. She didn't know if she should. In situations like this - not that she had ever been in this situation with Regina before - but in situations which prompted extreme feeling from Regina it was best to leave her to cope with things on her own.

The living room was tidied, the television turned off before the Saviour retired to bed. As she passed the stairs she contemplated going up; going to speak to Regina. Her foot rested on the first step but she decided it was best not to, especially considering how drunk she still was. So she made her way to her bedroom for a restless night of wondering what the morning would bring.

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><p>The following day Regina awoke to a splitting headache and a taste in her mouth that could only have been caused by vomiting the night before. Her innards were swirling around inside her, her stomach felt like it had been hit by an 18-wheeler. Her hand flopped over her face to shield the sun coming through her slightly open curtains. When she tried to remember how she had gotten herself into this state, very little came back to her. She remembered the encounter with her sister, coming home and speaking to Emma and Charming. She recalled that she and Emma had commenced drinking not long after her father had left, that they had ordered pizza and started watching a surprisingly entertaining television show. As she remembered the Tequila her stomach lurched, but she held it in. After that her mind was a blank. She rolled over, groaning as she did so, to check the time.<p>

"Shit", the brunette cursed aloud. It was eleven o'clock. She hadn't slept in this late in decades, maybe even ever.

Downstairs, Emma was sitting at the island having a stare-off with a huge, steaming mug of coffee. She didn't know what Regina's reaction to her would be this morning or whether she would even talk to her at all after their kiss so she sat quietly and waited, turning around when she heard soft footfalls from the stairs. Emma was definitely feeling worse for wear this morning so she didn't even want to think about how Regina was feeling.

The blonde was looking as the entranceway as the mayor padded in, bare feet making little sound on the floor. She was still dressed in her pyjamas, and Emma had to stop herself from thinking that even hung-over and dressed in her jammies, the former Queen still looked like, well, a queen.

Waiting for Regina to make the first move, Emma sat silently and drank her coffee. After the brunette had poured herself a cup and situated herself opposite Emma, they spoke for the first time.

"I am never drinking with you again", Regina said accusingly, "I have _never _experienced a hangover like this in my _entire_ life."

Emma was stunned; Regina wasn't mad at her, it wasn't awkward, it didn't even seem like…_Fuck. _Emma thought, _fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. She doesn't remember. _

"Really…" the blonde replied nervously, "this was like, every weekend of my life for god knows how many years…"

"Really Emma, your penchant for alcohol does astonish me. Don't misunderstand me, I do like a drink, but usually I am hangover free, an effect of my magic, no doubt."

Puzzled, the Saviour looked at her son's mother across the island, "Then how come you have one today?" She still couldn't quite look Regina in the eye, and was focused on a spot just above the mayor's shoulder. If the mayor knew what had happened last night they wouldn't be sitting here having such a casual conversation right now.

"I don't know. I'm as puzzled as you are, dear. Maybe it is the consequence of my overt use of magic yesterday."

"Yeah…" Emma pondered, "I guess that makes sense… So David text me telling me he picked up Henry alright this morning, they're down at the docks, apparently Hook is involved in the lessons too."

Regina's face darkened at that comment but she said nothing and focused on the mug of coffee in front of her instead.

"I have to head down to the station for a few hours, then I'll pick him up from David and Mary Margret's on the way home." Emma had just, without realising, called Regina's house 'home'.

"Wonderful," Regina replied, not noticing the blonde's use of words, "I will be stopping by the vault at some point. I'm going to attempt to find out more about the woman's magic. I shall cook us dinner, Lasagne perhaps?"

"Sounds great." Emma smiled, but inside she was a wreck. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't very well come out and tell Regina they had kissed last night, or that they had has some kind of deep and meaningful conversation, but she also felt terribly guilty allowing the woman to continue without knowing. The lesser of two evils, she decided, was to wait for the opportune time to tell her. Informing her of it now would just make things worse. It was just a drunken mistake, wasn't it? But the blonde's mind drifted back to the kiss, the way it felt to have the brunette's lips against hers, the way the other woman had clutched at her shirt like she never planned to let go. The rest of the night was mostly a blur, but the kiss she remembered with such fervent clarity it could have happened just seconds ago.

Both women finished their coffee and advanced from the kitchen to get ready for their already delayed day. Emma yelled a goodbye to Regina as she left the house and walked toward her yellow bug that was parked just outside the house on Mifflin Street.


	11. Full of Distractions

A/N:

Hey guys! Here we have the aftermath of drunkenness and the prequel to something biiiiiiig. There's now over 100 people following this story which has blown me away, I just hope that I can do it justice! As always reviews are appreciated and criticisms and ideas are welcomed! I hope you've all had a good week and have a good week to come.

Happy reading!

Rosie

(I do not own Once or any of its characters, no copyright intended).

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><p>Down at the station Emma sat at her desk, the surface littered with white sheets of paper strewn in all directions. In all the chaos that had ensued since she returned, the patrols and stakeouts and hours spent responding to calls from scared townspeople who thought that the Witch was lurking in their flowerbeds or something a stupid as that, she hadn't had time to do any paperwork. Regina had drummed into her the importance of getting it all done, and frankly she was scared not to. She did think though, sometimes, that in their town with its minuscule economy and lack of contact with the rest of the country, was there really need for paperwork at all?<p>

"Urgh," Emma groaned noisily, resting her head on her hands and closing her eyes. She was so bored she would have given anything not to be filling out sheets right now and it also wasn't helping that she hadn't yet got over her hangover. She looked up at the clock and noticed it was only 1pm; she had another two hours _at least_ until she could go and collect Henry. Her brain was turning into mush; she wasn't even taking in what she was reading anymore. For a millisecond she actually wished for something to happen out in the town so she could have _some _excuse not to finish her work. But then she thought better of it. In this town - knowing what kind of crazy shit happens - wishing for something as a distraction was just asking to be attacked by an ogre or something much worse.

Instead of focusing on what she was supposed to be doing, all Emma could do was stare aimlessly into space and contemplate the events of last night again; the quantity of Tequila which had lead Regina to jump on her and attach those beautiful, succulent red lips to her own. The blonde suddenly remembered, to her embarrassment, that it had been her compliments which promoted this reaction from the other woman. Emma was very, _very, _glad that the brunette couldn't remember the things she had confessed, things which the blonde usually would have hidden deep inside, things which she had never in the entire time of knowing Regina even thought about telling her, even though she had had the same opinions from the very beginning.

Emma had absolutely no idea what to do about the whole situation. She couldn't exactly go tell Regina what had happened. She imagined how that conversation would go down…

"_Oh, by the way Regina, when you were really drunk last night I told you you were wonderful and convinced you out of thinking you were worthless and then you kissed me…Just thought you'd like to know."_

She could see the look of unadulterated shock and disgust on Regina's face now. It wasn't as if they hated each other anymore. I mean…Emma certainly didn't hate Regina, and clearly the woman had warmed up to her also. But it was the alcohol talking. The alcohol and the fact that no one in the brunette's life had ever been loving or caring towards her. No one except her father and look what happened there. Emma sighed. Why did this situation have to be so fucking complicated? There were so many things she wanted to tell Regina, and not just about the kiss last night; she wanted to tell her about the dream she'd had that basically convinced her to come back to Storybrooke for a woman she didn't even know, she wanted to tell her that she would make sure that no one would ever treat her in the way she had been treated ever again, that Emma would make sure of it. The thing that was screwing her up most was that she really, _really _wanted to kiss Regina again. Like, almost more than she'd ever wanted anything in her life. For several moments too long she lost herself in the memory of what it had been like, then berated herself for enjoying a kiss that the other person didn't even remember.

Emma would tell tell her just…not yet. Things were too good at the moment to fuck anything up. Well, good is relative when you have a Witch on the loose but for her life, things were pretty good. She decided that she would tell Regina once this was all over. They needed to focus on dealing with her sister first and they really could do without the distraction of brewing feelings. Not that she knew if Regina had feelings for her but Emma was certainly starting to think that she had feelings and she really didn't want to address them until the threat of death wasn't looming over their heads. If they got out of this alive, then she would tell her. The blonde's mind was made. What can a few weeks hurt?

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><p>Across town, Regina was sitting on the large, ornate chair in her vault, taking a break from her books and spells in an attempt to discontinue the swirling vortex that she was feeling inside. Having never had a hangover before she now understood exactly why people complained so often about the phenomenon, it really was not at all pleasant. Her head was pounding despite the painkillers she had taken and her hands broke out into tiny earthquake-like tremors every now and again.<p>

Despite this, she was glad the night had happened. It had been a long time since she had really enjoyed herself like she did last night, or what she could remember of it. If Emma hadn't been there she likely would have gotten drunk by herself and done much more self-destructive things, things which she had been trying to talk herself out of on her walk home last night. Regina's childhood had left some not so shallow emotional wounds which occasionally were ripped open, and when this happened there was very little she could do other than allow them to bleed and wallow in the pain that they brought her. Henry had been a cure, for some time, but eventually her nightmares always found their way into the light of day again.

The former Queen stood gracefully, allowing herself to steady before she took a sure-footed step forward. The sound of her heels on the flagstone floor echoed throughout the room. It was the only sound she could hear. She made her way towards the heart chests, searching out one in particular. Before she was even five feet away the desired box came towards her out of the wall, a slow grinding sound accompanying it. She held the chest against her with both hands and made her way slowly back to her previous seat. In a childlike manor she slipped off her shoes and raised her knees towards her chin, gripping the edge of the chair with her socked toes. The heart box was balanced precariously on her knees and she simply stared at it for minutes.

It was only at times like this, when she was alone that Regina allowed herself to show even the tiniest morsel of real, raw emotion. A guttural sob broke from her mouth as she stared at the box in front of her, yet she wasn't even quite sure why she was crying. She attributed it to the hangover, hormones, whatever. But the truth was there had been a lot to deal with recently and she hadn't really let herself _feel _it. She was used to bottling things up inside. Her days as the Evil Queen had been spent ignoring any and every emotion she ever had that wasn't rage, hatred or regret. But things had changed a lot since then, and something had unlocked her power to feel. She attributed it to Henry, yet there had been times much after Henry's appearance in her life that she had not allowed herself to feel anything but those emotions which tore her up inside. She had always had to remind herself that showing emotion wasn't weakness, contrary to what she had been told all her life, but recently she had been showing it of her own accord; as if the little bird in its cage inside her blackened heart was finally spreading its wings and learning to fly. What the cause of it could be she did not know, but she was starting to not despise it. It was beginning to make her feel as if she deserved to feel; to cry, to laugh, to love. So she let the tears roll down her face. There was no point in stopping them any more, and more than a large part of her didn't even want to.

It was her mother's heart. The heart of a woman who had tormented, manipulated, beaten and in her own twisted way, loved Regina. The woman had made her life a living hell; she had manicured the brunette into her perfect little Princess and when that didn't work she turned her into a cold-blooded killer, an Evil Queen who murdered for fun and ruined hundreds of lives before breakfast each day. It was times like this that it really sank in for Regina that her entire life had been a lie. Everyone around her had controlled her from all angles. She had been a puppet, a slave to the whims of the two most powerful people the world had ever known.

This sister of hers, she reasoned, had to have been born before her. Cora was a master manipulator but even she didn't have the capability to hide a pregnancy from her husband and daughter for nine whole months. Regina's father cannot have known because otherwise he wouldn't have yearned after another sibling for the brunette to spend her time with. He always wanted her to have a friend, a sister or brother to protect and love her simply because she wasn't getting love from anywhere else. He tried his best but his efforts were minimal and as much as she loved his Regina saw now more than ever how much of a coward he had been. If she had been in his position she would have stood up for her child every time it was needed, even if it meant getting killed a thousand times over. She would never have let anyone treat Henry the way her mother treated her. But that was the difference between them she supposed. Now, after all this time, she had a heart and her mother's was as cold and dead now as it had been when it was inside her body.

As much as she hated to even consider the idea, from what she knew about her mother's past (any or all of which she supposed could be a lie too), the most likely man to be her sisters father would be the one and only Rumplestiltskin. The thought made Regina feel even queasier than she already did. If there had been any remnants of magic left in the room the brunette may have been able to figure out of that was true or not, or at least make a more educated guess, but it had all dissipated and so they were left with nothing. All they could do was wait like sitting ducks and hope they weren't taken too much by surprise. The town didn't yet know that this new threat was only after Regina, and she was anxious to tell them. She would be blamed for bringing them back here, for cursing them all again, and that was something she wasn't sure she could cope with right now.

Wiping the remaining tears from her face and pulling herself back together; Regina stretched out her legs and held the box firmly in two hands. After replacing it in its position, she returned to gather her things.

The atmosphere was becoming oppressive. The Mayor felt like she was suffocating under all the unsorted emotions that lingered in the air so she made her way up towards the light of the early evening sun, pulling her phone from her bag as she went.

* * *

><p>When she surfaced and her phone signal returned she realised she had 2 missed calls and 2 texts from Emma, and a missed call from Henry. Alarm bells immediately rang in her head and she checked the messages first. Absentmindedly she pushed her father tomb back into place and stepped out into the fresh air, pulling the door closed behind her.<p>

**Picking Henry up now, off to Granny's for cocoa then home. See you there. E**

Was the first of the two, checking the timestamp the brunette saw it had been send at 3.45pm. She moved on to the next message,

**Why don't you get fucking signal in the Vault. Called you twice. Come home AS SOON AS YOU GET THIS. E. **

Regina checked the timestamp, 5.36pm. She checked the time on the main screen of her phone she realised this was only 2 minutes ago. Before responding she picked up the voicemail that the woman had also left her and raised the phone to her ear;

_"Hey, Regina, you need to get back to the house like right now_, Emma said, her voice holding a nervous tone that set Regina's entire being on edge._ Don't worry, Henry is safe, just get back here asap okay? Bye."_

Regina's feet started moving before the message even finished. She elegantly ran to the Mercedes, which made her feel ore than a little nauseous, threw her bag on the passenger seat, slammed the door and started the engine in one fluid motion. She was halfway home before she knew it, trees and buildings soaring past, breaking every speed limit she had ever enforced as Mayor.

Like something out of a movie, only without the screeching tyres, the brunette pulled into the drive in record time and was greeted by Emma and Henry standing outside the front door.

She didn't even bother getting her things, just threw the door open and walk purposefully across the lawn to meet her son and his mother.

"What on earth is happening?! You two would have me thinking a sinkhole appeared and swallowed the house with you in it," she accused the blonde, giving Henry a fleeting look too, considering it appeared, contrary to what she had been thinking, that they were both alive and well.

From their faces, however, Regina realised this might not be time for her usual accusations of Emma's incompetence. The blonde looked at her with an apprehensive look on her face, but it was Henry who cleared up the situation for Regina.

"Someone broke into the house Mom," he started, letting his other mother continue.

"We got back and as soon as I opened the door I saw that something wasn't right, the drawers from the dresser in the lobby were all over the floor and your study doors were wide open, it looks pretty messed up in there. I gave the bottom floor a quick once over and I'm pretty sure she's gone, but we decided to stay out here until you came back because of the magic thing, you know, just in case," Emma finished.

"Well done," she said, resting her hand protectively on Henry's shoulder while he and his blonde mother looked up at her and awaited instructions. "I'm really starting to loose patience with this witch now. I shall go in and survey the damage. Call David, tell him I want guards outside this house at all times, I don't care who," she addressed Emma. "Henry, stay out here with Emma for a few minutes."

She snaked carefully into the house, first looking at her study. It appears as if her sister had been looking for something, something specific by the looks of it, because nothing was missing. The room was a mess though, all the books had been pulled down from their shelves; every drawer in her desk had been turned upside down. The woman was obviously looking for something that she couldn't find in Regina's office. Regina suspected the thing she was looking for had something to do with their mother, or maybe something to do with Regina's power, but she couldn't say for sure. After she checked the whole house over, finding nothing missing, she returned to the front porch where Emma and Henry were now stood with Bashful, Happy and Grumpy, sent by David to watch the house.

* * *

><p>The clean up operation took them several hours. The blonde and their son put everything in piles, papers in one place, books another, and the Mayor returned them all to their rightful homes. By the time they were finished, Henry was so hungry that he professed he could eat an troll and of course, Emma was always hungry, so as a family they set to making dinner which mostly consisted of Emma and Henry being annoying and getting thrown out of the "cooking area" by Regina, who was feeling her hangover finally dissipate.<p>

Finally, they sat down to eat in the dining room around 9pm. The brunette boy had furnished their guards with large helpings of his mother's famous lasagna, which they were more than grateful for. The trio sat mostly in silence, Emma still feeling slightly awkward around Regina considering the knowledge she possessed which the Mayor did not. Towards the end of their meal, the entrance of Bashful from the back door by the kitchen interrupted them.

"Sorry to intrude, Emma, Madame Mayor…," he began.

"…Regina is fine, please," she interrupted.

"Regina," he said, looking down at the small piece of paper in his hands. "I uh…found this by the back door… I don't know when it got there but uh…here," he reached out his hand towards Regina and she graciously plucked it from his fingers.

"Sorry again…" he said, "and thank you for the food," he added, turning on his heels and scurrying away.

"You are very welcome," Regina smiled up at him but he was gone already, the back door clicked behind him.

Both mothers and son looked worriedly at the letter, Regina's worry showing through her mask only just enough that Emma could notice it.

It was a small, off-white piece of parchment, not like the paper that they now used in this world. The brunette unfolded it gently and took in the words written in green ink in a cursive, flowing hand across the page.

**_Tomorrow we fight. 7pm. Clocktower. All must attend._**

It was signed off at the bottom in bold, swirling letters that jumped off the page.

**_Zelena_**

* * *

><p>Across town Zelena chuckled to herself. Her moron of a sister was absolutely unbelievable. Not only did she have the most incompetent guards she had ever encountered, she was also so fixated on that son of hers and his <em>safety <em>that she entirely forgot to seal up the vault in her wake.

The Witch had known that Regina would use a different spell after the blood magic fiasco, something preventing her from getting in, even with her level of magical ability, so she had to stage a distraction. There wasn't anything in the mansion she needed; all she wanted was for Regina to speed home, scared about the whereabouts of her son and that Saviour and forget to lock up. She hadn't thought that the woman would actually fall for it but apparently she was more idiotic that Zelena had first considered.

_This is going to be too easy, _she thought to herself, smirking, as she pushed the heavy mausoleum door open with a soft hand. He examined her surroundings for a second before pushing all her weight onto the tomb stone and moving it deftly out of the way.

Her black cloak flowed like murky water behind her as she descended the stairs into the gloom of the vault. This wouldn't take long; she knew exactly what she was looking for, she just had to find it. That had been the purpose of her sneaky little teleport the other day that her sister so graciously tagged along with. She had wanted to see the inside of the vault to determine whether what she needed was there or not.

She gave herself a metaphorical pat on the back for her intelligence; killing two birds with one stone was definitely the way to do things. The quicker she could enact her curse the quicker that bitch would pay for what she had done. Zelena walked forward purposefully towards the wall of chests. She closed her eyes, imagined what she needed and when they opened again the correct box was floating out towards her. She placed it carefully on the small table and opened it to see a blackened lump, as solid as coal. That was it, she was sure. It wouldn't have presented itself to her if it hadn't been the right one.

The next item on her mental list was harder to find. It took her longer than expected, minutes of opening boxes and looking behind candles until she found it. A small box, hidden inside a very old very large spell book. She opened the box and marvelled at the contents. It was a small pendant with an Emerald set in the middle; the most powerful magical talisman known to mankind, granting the wearer immunity from any magical spells cast upon them. She pulled it out and slipped it carefully around her neck before tucking it in between the think fur on her cloak, then returned the box to its previous place.

On her way out she sealed the doors behind her, so that Regina would be none the wiser should she return. She would simply just think that she had sealed the door without thinking and left in a hurry to get back to her son and his mother.

_Perfect, _she thought as she felt the power of the necklace reconcile itself with her own power, filling her body and mind with an ineffable feeling, _this will do quite nicely. _


	12. The Confrontation

A/N:

Hey guys!

Suuuuuuper long chapter here for you, the longest so far! I didn't intend it to be so big but I didn't want to split the last scenes up so I decided to keep them all together. The second half of the chapter was one of my favourite things to write yet, so I hope you enjoy it! Next chapter will address some of the things I've put on hold for a while… there will be some more Robin/Tink stuff so stay tuned! As always a girl loves reviews, if you like what's happening, or don't, I would love to hear from you!

Happy reading!

Rosie

(I do not own OUAT or any of the characters, no copyright intended).

* * *

><p>7 o'clock the next evening rolled around quicker than anyone anticipated. Snow and Charming held a meeting with all the townspeople, explaining to them the situation; who this woman was that had cursed them all. There was the obligatory blaming of Regina but the number of people who distrusted her was getting lesser and lesser each time they met. It appeared that the Saviour's affiliation with the former Queen was helping her reputation tenfold. The townsfolk assumed, for the most part, that Regina couldn't be all that bad if Emma was spending time with her; even living in her house and allowing their son to see her too. Some of them expressed distaste at having to attend this "show", and Snow and David were concerned too, but they knew that even if they asked the people expressly not to be there, they would all turn up anyway. The Storybrooke residents were all suckers for even the slightest bit of gossip; none of them would miss this, even at risk to their own lives.<p>

While the meeting went on Regina and Emma were preparing all they could. If the brunette's suspicions were true about her parentage then Zelena could well be more powerful than she and Emma combined. Emma's power was strong, even though she was a novice, but uncontrolled. They agreed that if they came out of this encounter alive they would commence magic lessons straight away. The blonde's power was strong because she was a product of true love, but the woman they were up against… If Cora was her mother and Rumple her father, the result could be disastrous. The brunette did all the research she could on the power of those born from dark magic. Speaking to Gold about this would have been preferable but Regina had decided to steer clear of him until this encounter was over; she didn't want him to know the truth, assuming that he hadn't already found out, and the general consensus from her and Emma's reading was that it was only light magic that could defeat dark, which Regina already knew already. In other words, it was only Emma's magic that could defeat Regina's sister, but the blonde's magic was nowhere near developed enough to defend herself against a woman whose magic was so powerful. This was how, on that evening at 7 o'clock they gathered in the town square with the rest of the residents, unprepared and terrified about what was going to happen.

They all looked up at the clock tower in apprehension as it finished its final ring, signalling that it was 7pm on the dot. Dark has swept over Storybrooke and David was uneasy, he and Snow still maintaining that it was a bad idea for their people to be exposed in the open with such danger looming over all their heads.

"I think we should get everyone to go home, this isn't safe," he whispered to his wife, just out of Emma and Regina's earshot.

The townspeople were starting to get scared and some had already returned to their houses in fear of the witch that was set to arrive any minute.

Rumple was standing silently outside his shop, watching from a distance. He could help them, but he wouldn't, they knew that. He had already told him that he was remaining unaligned and although that angered more than a few of the townspeople there wasn't anything they could do about it. In reality, Regina and Emma could really use his help fighting Zelena as they were more than sure that this was going to go disastrously. But as the brunette had pointed out to Emma earlier, no matter what happened it would give them some kind of an idea what they were really up against.

The blonde was standing in front of Regina with several other people standing around her so she was relatively hidden from her sister's view in the darkness. She had tried to discourage Emma from putting herself in the direct line of fire but had been ignored as usual, and the blonde did have a point. Regina's magic, though more powerful than Emma's, could potentially be ineffective, so it made sense for Emma to try first, even if it didn't work. The brunette was not best pleased with this plan and the idea of Emma putting herself in danger for her made her heart sink. If anything happened to her Regina wasn't entirely sure what she would do. The thing that baffled her most, however, was the fact that Emma was actually willing to do this for Regina. No one had ever offered to put themselves on the line for her before. Things between them were better, they were friends, but she was unsure when things had changed so drastically between them that Emma was willing to sacrifice herself for Regina, if it came down to that. To this town she had only ever been scorned or used for her magic and Emma was treating her as if she was worth so much more than her abilities. It was bizarre, but in a way, wonderful.

As the commotion continued and Regina's thoughts sped along at a thousand miles a minute, Zelena appeared. She felt Emma tense in front of her and reach her hand backwards to brush Regina's arm just slightly. It made the brunette focus and she stilled behind the blonde in front of her, obscuring herself from view.

Through a cloud of green smoke the witch emerged, dressed head to toe in black, looking like something Emma had seen in movies when she was younger. The woman was wearing heavy black boots and a long velvet dress with a sweeping train down the back and intricate beading across the bodice. On her chest was a large, shining green amulet on a gold chain. All of this was paired with a large hat, like the kind children wear on Halloween. It would have made Emma scared if it didn't look so funny.

"Well, well, well, I'm glad everyone could make it," she sneered in their general direction as the cloud dissipated, sinister emerald eyes meeting the blonde's more open ones as she appeared to have become the centre of the group. A hand brushed her back fleetingly and she knew this was the brunette's way of reassuring her without revealing herself.

"Now where is my sister?" Zelena asked Emma directly, "I have been ever-so excited to properly make her acquaintance." The woman looked round; not spotting Regina in the crowd immediately, she became aggravated.

"Is she too terrified of my power to come and face me like a woman?" she asked, a sly smile creeping upon her lips.

The magic Zelena was releasing into the air was filled with terror and power; it made Emma feel dirty, like just being near her was tarnishing her magic, something that had never happened with Regina. Emma reasoned that she actually could have been quite beautiful if it wasn't for this. The witch had a soft face, which Emma suspected had been hardened by years of grief and resentment and beautiful red hair that was pinned up tightly, just showing underneath her hat.

Emma bolstered herself, she knew her power would be more effective than Regina's would but she was still scared witless. She hardened her face and eyes, mimicking the mask that the brunette so carefully painted onto her face everyday.

"If you want to get to her, you're gonna have to go through me," Emma answered boldly, much to the shock of the townsfolk around them. Her reply prompted an ungodly cackle from the witch opposite her.

"Oh, and who do you think you are?" Zelena spat, literally, at Emma's feet, "her bodyguard?" She asked, advancing on Emma step by step as the blonde held her hands out to her sides, summoning all the power she could muster towards the threat in front of her.

"No," the blonde replied, gritting her teeth and narrowing her eyes in a struggle to get her power under control, "I'm the Saviour." The magic was bubbling inside her but it was weak, like a kettle before boiling; heating up but still powerless to hurt anyone.

Zelena looked her up and down with menacing eyes that were darkening by the second; she was barely a five meters away from Emma now.

"The Saviour, huh," the redhead smirked, moving her hand upwards in the motion she had seen the former Queen do hundreds of times.

"Get out of my way."

There was a gasp, and before Emma knew what was happening, before she had time to summon her magic to the surface enough to retaliate, she was thrown across she street with a level of strength she hadn't even known to exist. She landed painfully on the curb, the concrete under her back winding her. Some of the Storybrooke residents were running now; if their Saviour couldn't stand up to this woman then who could?

Charming detached himself from the group and began to run towards her but Emma jumped to her feet mere seconds later as she heard Zelena's silky smooth voice hit the airwaves again. Her feet were already moving underneath her as the redhead spoke.

"Ah, sis," she paused, "how wonderful to meet you again. Nice to see you brought your lapdog with you. Adorable."

Emma watched from the side as Regina moved at a measured pace out of the crowd. She held her hands up only slightly, signifying to Emma that she was ready to fight whenever, but not threatening her sister too much after the show she had just put on. Her heels clicked against the road slowly but surely as she looked into Zelena's eyes with nothing other than pure hatred.

"You obviously didn't get the memo dear…" Regina smirked her infamous smirk, her mouth rising at the corners as Emma watched, waiting to see what was going to happen next.

"…Black is my colour."

If it had been any other situation Regina's tone of voice probably would have turned Emma on, but she forced herself to focus on the situation at hand as she crept back around the large group so she was standing behind the majestic brunette, who was still advancing on her prey.

"You should be wearing something less chic…Green…Brown perhaps?" she mocked.

Zelena's face contorted in anger as she took another step towards her brunette sister, "Well, maybe Mother should have taught you share, Princess."

That made Regina angry, so she responded with a growl in the only way she had ever been taught.

"Our mother clearly didn't want me to share," she disparaged, "otherwise she would have allowed you to be part of our family in the first place. She was ashamed of you."

Zelena's eyes noticeably dropped at this statement, if only for a few seconds, and the Mayor internally rejoiced that she had found her enemy's weakness; their mother's love. The woman hardened her face considerably before she replied to her sister.

"So you admit we're sisters?"

"I admit nothing. Cora was my mother, and she was yours. I was and will forever be an only child. You are no sister of mine."

Emma stepped forward minutely, she was watching the altercation, waiting for the moment when Regina might need her help. Emma quickly thought how happy she was that Henry wasn't here tonight. The brunette's last comment awoke a new level of anger in the witch, so Emma held her hand up in defence, pulling her magic to the surface of her skin, but it was no use, nothing would come, and she wasn't strong enough anyway. She wished that there was some magical way she could help Regina, the blonde had always been overly protective of those she cared about and this was no exception, but Regina was on her own. There was nothing Emma could do.

"You bitch!" Zelena yelled, catching Regina off guard and sending her careering into the group of people stood to her left. Before she even rose from the ground Regina expelled a ball of fire from the centre of her palm that whooshed towards her sister, crackling, and there was a number of frightened screams from townsfolk. The fireball caught Zelena's hat where she ducked and knocked it clean off her head into a burning pile behind her.

Regina raised herself to her feet and began to walk calculatingly back towards the woman in front of her.

"So thats what this is all about?" The former Queen asked earnestly, "Mummy dearest abandoned you and you're here to exact your revenge on me because… why?" Regina asked angrily, "because I got to put up with years of her torture? You were lucky."

The witch walked up to her swiftly and stopped just in front of her face, her eyes boring into Regina's even though they had a significant height difference.

"You got everything I should have had. She chose you over me, they all did. You were the most powerful Queen that ever lived, second in power only to your mentor, Rumplestiltskin. And you threw it all away for this?" She gestured around her at the town and it's people, the majority of which had fled the scene at this point.

Regina was stunned and she let her mask slip ever so slightly for a laugh to expel from her mouth. "You're jealous of me? Really? You have no idea how hellish my life was," she answered with a sneer.

"See!" Zelena answered, her already green eyes clouding with effervescent emerald smoke, as if she was being over-taken by the green-eyed monster herself, "You take it all for granted! You had everything. Everything I ever wanted. So now, I'm going to take it all away. Your town, your family, even you. I'm going to make it so you were never born," she grinned with mirth, "and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

"Oh I think there is." Regina replied, summoning another fireball to her hand. But this time, before she could throw it at her target, it evaporated into green smoke.

"I'm more powerful than you can _ever _be, little sis, and that I know for sure," she gloated as she fingered the gem resting on her pale chest.

Zelena raised her hand and gained a magical chokehold around the brunette's neck. Emma looked on helplessly as her son's mother was raised into the air, battling for breath. She flailed under her grip, but there was nothing she could do to break free. No power she could wield which could overcome Zelena. Emma could almost feel Regina's struggle inside herself, feeling her own windpipe closing from the crushing hold. She could feel the panic, the fear, something which she had never even considered the brunette would feel in battle. But now she knew. She didn't know how, but she knew. Regina looked at Emma ever so quickly, so quick that the blonde almost didn't catch it, before she was thrown viciously to the ground.

Zelena cackled and raised her arm up as Regina pulled her body out of it slumped, slow moving form on the ground and back onto her feet. As soon as she was steady, the vice-like grip around her throat returned and she was pulled into the air then smashed onto the ground again like a rag doll. The witch repeated this over and over again, each time Regina's petite frame hit the concrete with more force. Emma's heart was beating like a drum inside her chest, her eyes watering from the strength it took to stand there and watch the woman she had come to yearn for be hurt repeatedly. All she wanted to do was run to Regina; pick her up and take her home and make sure no one ever hurt her again, but instead she glued her feet to the ground. If the worst was to happen, Henry losing both his mothers wasn't an option.

Charming and Snow held Emma's hands to stop her from running to Regina's aid. They could see from her shaking form that she needed help restraining herself.

As the brunette pulled herself off the ground one final time she attempted to fire the last remains of her magic at Zelena, but failed when she was yet again paralysed. This time however, instead of throwing her to the ground Regina's sister raised her higher and higher in the air until she was suspended above the remaining spectators watching.

Emma's heart was pounding in her chest as she watched her son's mother, limp and helpless in their enemy's grasp.

"See you soon, sis," the witch said maliciously as she used all the strength within her to propel Regina through the air. The witch disappeared in a huge fog of bright green smoke as the brunette sailed through the air, gaining altitude. The blonde watched as the brunette's body collided with the clock tower window. The shattering of glass could be heard halfway across the town on this otherwise silent night in Storybrooke. Emma went into overdrive.

She ran so fast that she could barely feel her legs moving underneath her. It was like those times in her foster homes, when her brain would just switch off and her body act of its own accord. All the background noise, crying townspeople, her parents yelling at her, it was all a haze, a blur of sound that all merged into one. _All that maters is Regina, _she said to herself.

The library door was yanked open and the Saviour took the steps three at a time. By the time she reached the top of the rickety wooden staircase Regina was coming to, lying in a heap on the ground, groaning. She was slumped against the bannister, which she had obviously been thrown against before sliding down it.

"Regina!" Emma yelled as she launched herself up the last few steps and landed on her knees beside the brunette.

The brunette through strained lungs.

"Emma", was the whispered sound.

"Its gonna be okay. Its all gonna be okay," Emma repeated like a mantra to Regina as she quickly checked the woman over, ascertaining that there was no broken bones, but huge purple bruises were beginning to form around her throat, as if Zelena's hands had really been on her.

"The amulet...around her neck...it was in my vault," Regina chocked out, but Emma ignored her in favour of making she that she wasn't too badly injured.

"Shhh...We can talk about that later. Right now lets concentrate on getting you out of here," Emma answered.

The Sheriff touched her head quickly, noticing that there was a small cut and a large bump to accompany it. She picked her up off the floor. The brunette winced as the blonde touched her back and Emma reasoned that there would be a fair amount of damage to treat where her back had hit the glass, as well as bruising all over her body from being thrown onto the concrete so many times. Emma carried her carefully down the stairs, attempting to move as little as possible so to make the ride more comfortable for the woman in her arms.

As she appeared through the library door, carrying Regina through the threshold marriage style, Snow and Charming ran towards her, stopping just short of the pair.

"Is she okay?" they asked quickly, "Are you?" Concern was etched on her mother's face.

"I'm… fine…" Regina replied groggily, opening her eyes narrowly to look up at the Charmings, then at her Saviour. "Put me down Emma. I can walk."

Emma almost laughed, "Regina, you have a concussion. You're not walking. We should get you to the hospital," she said and took off in the right direction, largely ignoring her parents as they rushed along behind her.

Regina moved her head in towards Emma's chest and winced slightly from the movement. In her barely conscious state she inadvertently rubbed her nose along Emma's collarbone. Her usual white tank top allowed the blonde to feel the breath against her chest, slightly ragged.

"I'm not…an invalid," she replied disjointedly, "don't you dare take me to the hospital." Regina looked up and met Emma's green eyes with her unfocussed ones, "take me home."

Emma suspected that Regina had a pretty serious concussion, but not one to disobey the mayor's orders, especially when said Mayor was pressed against her chest being carried like a baby, she walked towards the Mercedes and carefully laid the brunette out across the back seat, lying on her side so not to damage her back any further.

"Aren't you taking her to the hospital? Its right there?" Snow asked, concerned as she stood next to her husband by the Mayor's car.

"No, I'm taking her back to the mansion," Emma answered as she walked around the car to get in the drivers seat, looking up at her parents and switching on the ignition, she continued, "can you guys take Henry tonight please. He's at Hansel's right now?" There was a hint of worry on her features. She could tell her parents didn't like this idea, and that they also didn't understand why she was caring for Regina, but she didn't care. Emma knew what it was like to be physically hurt like this; it had happened too many times to count, and she understood that Regina didn't want anyone to see her like this so she listened to the woman's request.

"Of course we can," David replied before being interrupted by his wife.

Snow huffed and looked at her daughter in such a mothering way the blonde wanted to be sick. "But Emma, really, this is a bad-."

"Just take Henry for me. And no funny business. I don't want him walking home on his own at god knows what time again." Emma replied with finality, looking back at Regina's semi-conscious form in the back.

Her mother looked embarrassed at that and silenced.

"We'll look after him, you look after her."

David slammed the car door as he replied and tapped the car roof, signalling that the blonde was good to go.

"Thanks, see you later," she said, glancing round once more at Regina before she pushed her foot down on the gas in order to get home as quickly as possible.

* * *

><p>The pair arrived at 108 Mifflin Street mere minutes later. Emma pulled Regina's car carefully into the drive. She knew the brunette was going to kill her for driving the Merc when she realised how they got home, but at this moment Emma didn't really acre about that. At least she hadn't scratched it. The car pulled to a stop and she immediately killed the engine and climbed out of the vehicle, swiftly opening Regina's door. The woman was awake and as Emma tried to extricate her from the car without hurting her she tried to manoeuvre herself, sliding gracefully along the leather even when in major pain. Emma carefully helped guide her out and the brunette tried to free herself of the blonde's grip and stand on her own two feet. She made it two steps, holding onto the car while Emma was shutting the door before she realised what the woman was doing.<p>

"Uh uh," the Saviour protested, "no walking. You have a concussion."

Regina braced herself against the car, holding on either side of her body. She was wobbling; even if she could walk there was no way Emma would let her.

"Fine," Regina grumbled, her face dark as thunder, "you may carry me."

"Good", Emma responded victoriously while she scooped the former Queen up again, the woman's arms coming instinctively around her neck. She shut the Regina's door with her foot and locked the car with the key that was still clutched between two fingers. She made her way up the path and stepped onto the porch.

Emma fiddled as she tried to move the right key into her grasp. After finally succeeding, she opened the door and stepped into the lobby, closing the door behind her.

She paused for a second removing her shoes, and as if reading her mind Regina's low, pained voice drifted through the sound waves.

"To my room, please," the brunette voiced reluctantly as she closed her eyes. She really didn't like, nor was she used to being babied like this.

The floorboards creaked under their combined weight as Emma walked smoothly up the stairs. She turned a sharp right and stood in front of the second door on her left. Her firm grip on Regina didn't leave her much space to turn the door handle, but she managed to do it regardless, and soon they stepped onto the plush ivory carpet of the mayor's bedroom. They walked across the room in darkness as Emma headed for the bathroom, assuming that where the medical supplies would be. She flipped the switch with one finger of her left hand and the room was bathed in light. It was a big room, much larger than the bathroom in the guest bedroom that Emma currently occupied.

The brunette was sat gently onto the floor by Emma and leant against the tub with just the tops of her shoulders touching the porcelain. Regina opened her eyes, looking around and taking in Emma's face now that she was stationary and didn't feel so nauseous.

"First-Aid kit is in the right hand cupboard, painkillers in the left," she said, croaking as she spoke again, the product of her sister's magic clutching around her throat like steel. She coughed and continued in a slightly exposed yet stronger voice, "thank you Emma."

The younger woman rifled through the cabinets and paused to look at several bottles more closely.

Regina heard the pills rattle inside her foggy brain and looked up as Emma turned around to reply to her.

"You don't need to say thank you," Emma said, trying to say it in a tone that would make the brunette believe it. It sounded like one of Regina's courteous replies, but the blonde really meant it. She didn't want Regina to say thank you. Emma felt like it was the least she could do, and besides, she wanted to do it.

There was a minute of silence whilst Emma gathered the final things she needed from the vanity. She wet a facecloth with hot water and filled a glass which was sitting by the basin with cold water, then knelt down next to her son's mother.

"Okay," Emma settled the supplies down next to her, removing the antiseptic lotion and bandages and some cream for good measure. "I'm gonna have a look at your head first, then your back. Drink this," she said, handing Regina the glass. "Can you take your jacket off?" she asked politely, looking Regina in the eye.

"I'm not an invalid Miss Swan," she repeated, sassing Emma even in her current state before taking a sip of the water. The blonde let out a short but melodical laugh.

"I'm sorry Regina, but considering I had to carry you up here, I kinda did have to ask," she smirked cheekily, earning as much of an eyebrow roll as the brunette could produce at that moment in time.

"I could have walked," the Queen grumbled. She sat up slightly, moving her hands to undo the buttons on her coat.

"Oh yeah, really," Emma scoffed.

Once they were undone Regina reached up to pull the jacket off her shoulders. She struggled to get the arms down because it required bending her back, and not without a scathing look allowed Emma to assist her in removing the jacket, soon she was sitting in her tight black dress, heels still on, looking up at and waiting for the Saviour to move.

Emma jumped into action, embarrassed that she had been caught staring, especially in this situation.

"Sorry, uh, can you sit up for me?" Emma asked bashfully. She picked up the soaked washcloth and doused it in antiseptic. "And drink some more water."

Regina moved her body forward and raised her knee to rest her head on, which obviously still hurt, to expose the cut to Emma.

There was a lump formed on Regina's skull, not too big, but still noticeable underneath her hair as Emma parted it. The brunette winced from the pain caused by the Sheriff pulling her hair out of the way. The cut wasn't terribly deep and Emma didn't think it would need stitches, so she gently squeezed the cloth to release warm water, which trickled over the cut. She dabbed it several times, getting the blood off. The blonde continued in this manner, rose up on her knees, one hand resting on Regina's shoulder delicately.

"Gently, please," the brunette quipped at one particularly painful sting of the ointment.

The Mayor winced several times as the process continued, but the blonde was gentler now than before. The infamous Evil Queen was secretly a big baby, Emma thought to herself, not that she dared to voice that thought, ever. Maybe she was just complaining for Emma's sake. When she was satisfied that it was clean enough, she placed a medium-sized bandage over the top and sat back on her hocks.

"Now…" Emma said awkwardly, wondering what she was expected to do in this situation. She couldn't access Regina's back enough to clean her wounds, but she didn't want to just go and outright ask the mayor to undress. Not after… but then she remembered that Regina still didn't know what has transpired between them the other night.

"Oh, " Regina replied, as she looked up from her spot on her knees. When she realised what Emma was asking of her blurted out, "you know I can do this on my own Emma, really."

"Not that I want to ask you to undress or anything, " she laughed nervously, "but…you really can't Regina. I think you have glass in your back. I'll take care of it."

"If you insist," she span herself round ninety degrees so she was facing the wall in front of Emma and removed her dress from her shoulders, exposing her the expanse of skin and the back of a black lace bra as she did so.

Emma set to work in silence, partly because she knew this was awkward for Regina too and the woman would want to get this over with, and partly because after their kiss the view she had right now, and others much more revealing, had been crossing her mind more than several times a day. Again she braced her hand on the brunettes shoulder and dabbed gently at the cuts on the brunette's upper back. They were all mostly minor abrasions, Emma worked her way down and found a small piece of glass embedded in the previously perfect area of Regina's lower back.

"There's a bit of glass in your back, this is gonna hurt okay?" Emma asked Regina, who nodded her approval and lowered her head back down to her knees.

"Okay," the woman verbally responded.

Emma slowly and tenderly pulled the shard out of the woman's skin. A small amount of blood followed, and the blonde dabbed it up with the cloth that was still in her hand.

"Ouch," Regina moaned, sucking air in through her teeth as the woman fixed a small bandage and then attended to the remaining cuts.

Emma stood and put the blood-covered cloth in the bin, the first aid kit back in the cupboard, and spoke.

"Good as new," Emma said leaning back on the sink as the woman in front of her made herself decent again and pushed herself off the ground to sit on the toilet seat.

She smiled gently as the brunette, who smiled very minutely back. Emma knew the fight had taken its toll on Regina, but the woman looked drained; emotionally, and magically, as well as physically.

"Thank you Emma, truly," the former Queen said as tired chocolate eyes locked with bright green ones.

"Really, its no problem. I'm glad you're not too badly hurt," she replied nonchalantly. She handed Regina the bottle of painkillers, "you can take these now. They're gonna knock you out though if you have them on an empt stomach"

"I'll take one in a minute, and thank you all the same."

And awkward silence pervaded the air. Neither woman knew quite what to say.

Emma broke the stillness, "Uhhh… I guess you want your privacy to like, change or whatever. Do you feel up to something to eat? I can go grab you something?"

Regina's eyes sparkled slightly at Emma's thoughtfulness though her face remained stoic, "Yes, that would be great, thanks."

"I guess I'll just be going then," Emma moved towards the door. She stepped out into Regina's bedroom but slipped her head round the door once more before she left.

"You'll be alright, yeah?" She smiled.

"Yes, Emma, I'll be alright," Regina laughed, a small smile spreading across her face for the first time that evening.

* * *

><p>Emma returned fifteen minutes later. She knocked politely on the door to the Mayor's room before she entered with grilled cheese and cocoa on a tray in hand; Henry's favourite things when he was ill or well, anytime really.<p>

"Come in", she heard Regina say from behind the closed door. On entering, Emma saw that the brunette was now dressed in silk pyjamas, sitting in bed propped up against the headboard, reading a book.

"Thank you," Regina said as Emma sat the tray down next to her. She laughed. "Grilled cheese and Cocoa. You must think I'm Henry."

"No, I don't think you're Henry," Emma smirked, sat on the edge of the bed, "I just thought it would cheer you up…or something…plus its basically the only thing I can make" she stuttered.

The slightest hint of blush spread over Regina's face. She had never had anybody do something 'just to cheer her up' before. Other than her physical ailments, there didn't outwardly appear to be anything wrong with her, but she sensed that Emma knew better, knew that it wasn't just the bump on her head and the cuts on her back that were hurting. She didn't know what to say in response, so she simply picked up one half of the sandwich, biting it daintily, and offered the other half to the Saviour.

"You should eat it all," Emma said, not often one to turn down food.

"Really, I'm not all that hungry," she answered, "You have it."

Emma looked at her, raising her eyebrows as if to ask if Regina was sure before she picked it up and chowed down, the whole sandwich gone in five seconds flat. The former Queen shook her head at the blonde disbelievingly.

They continued in comfortable silence, Emma still sat on the opposite side of the bed. Her legs were now crossed as she sipped her cocoa slowly, savouring every mouthful. Regina finished her sandwich and politely took a sip of her cocoa too, allowing the taste to slide deliciously down her throat. She didn't often allow herself to indulge in her son's favourite treats.

"Did you take some painkillers?" Emma asked. She thought she should probably leave, that the brunette was getting sick of her just hanging around and being annoying, but something inside herself wouldn't let her be dragged away.

"Yes, I took one about ten minutes ago. I'm feeling rather drowsy now," she replied, placing her mug on the bedside table.

Emma realised that was probably her cue to go so she excused herself to clean up the dishes.

After changing into her pyjamas she tried to stop herself but couldn't. Before she went to bed she decided to check on Regina one more time. She padded silently up the stairs, the carpet soft on her now bare feet, and walked along the landing to Regina's chamber. The blonde pushed the door open lightly and noticed immediately that the other woman had fallen asleep before she could turn the light off. Her son's mother was now curled up in a ball on her side.

The blonde tiptoed carefully across the room, attempting not to wake the woman up. She made it silently to the other side and switched off the bedside lamp with a click. The room was plunged into darkness, the only light coming from the hallway downstairs. As Emma crossed back to the door a groggy voice made its way through the darkness.

"Emma?" the half-sleeping half-drugged brunette asked softly, her hand flopping off the side of the bed as if she was trying to get the blonde's attention.

"Regina," she replied, turning and walking towards the woman who was lying facing the door until she was only a foot away from the bed. "Are you okay? She said softly, "Do you need anything?"

Emma leant down, crouching slightly over the woman's body as she spoke.

The brunette's hand reached out blindly towards the source of the voice, until it knocked against the soft flesh of Emma's hand. The brunette gripped it limply, running her thumb over the blonde's palm.

"Emma…please…" she attempted, trying to push the words out through her drug induced haze, as she fingered the younger woman's hand in her own.

"Please what, Regina? What do you need?" Emma asked, slightly concerned now, her free hand subconsciously reaching out to rest on the edge of the mattress.

There was a tug at her fingers, hesitant but there as the brunette said her next words, words that sent both shock and a feeling of pure warmth through Emma.

"Stay…" She pulled softly at the blonde's hand again.

Emma didn't know what to say, but if she couldn't say no to Regina when she didn't want to go to hospital, she sure as hell couldn't say no to Regina when she was asking her to get in her bed.

"Okay…" Emma said warily, _there will be hell to pay tomorrow but "_Yeah I'll stay."

Almost immediately the blonde's hand dropped out of its warm counterpart, as if the woman knew her task had been achieved.

Emma walked silently to door and shut it before making her way to the other side of the bed and sliding in. It was the best bed she had experienced in well, ever. The pillows felt like clouds to rest her head on. The duvet felt like the snuggliest of jumpers on the coldest winter day. And if that wasn't enough, the fact that Regina was lying in it next to her topped it all off. She laid her head to the side, looking at the shadowy form of the other woman underneath the covers. She desperately wanted to glide over and wrap the woman in her embrace, but that would be too far, so instead she settled for reaching her hand slightly further out in front of her as if Regina would sense the comfort regardless.

Minutes later, when Emma was on the brink of sleep, she felt the mattress dip in front of her and heard the movement of the covers against silk as the older woman rolled in her sleep. The brunette stopped facing Emma, her hands moved up to grip the pillow and landed mere millimetres away from the blonde's own. Emma listened for several seconds to Regina's steady, even breath before she allowed herself to drift away again. She was so close to unconsciousness that she barely registered a warm, soft hand slip around her own and hold on for dear life.


End file.
